Don Walsh | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Walsh in 2010 | |
| Born | (1931-11-02)November 2, 1931 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 12, 2023(2023-11-12) (aged 92) Myrtle Point, Oregon, U.S. |
| Alma mater | United States Naval Academy San Diego State University Texas A&M University |
| Known for | Trieste |
| Awards | Hubbard Medal (2010) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | United States Navy |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1954–1978 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Battles / wars | Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards |   Hubbard Medal |
| Spouse(s) | [1] |
| Children | 2 |
Don Walsh (November 2, 1931 – November 12, 2023) was an Americanoceanographer,U.S. Navy officer and marine policy specialist. While aboard thebathyscapheTrieste, he andJacques Piccard made a record maximum descent in theChallenger Deep on January 23, 1960, to 35,813 feet (10,916 m). Later and more accurate measurements have measured it at 35,798 feet (10,911 m).
Walsh was born inBerkeley, California on November 2, 1931.[1] He graduated with abachelor's degree in engineering from theU.S. Naval Academy in 1954, and later, aMaster's degree in political science fromSan Diego State University, and aPhD in physical oceanography fromTexas A&M University.[2]
Walsh served 24 years in theU.S. Navy upon graduation from the Academy, spanning theKorean andVietnam Wars.[3] He served as asubmarine officer and was a qualifiedNavy Diver.[3]
He attained the rank ofcaptain by the time he retired. He spent fifteen years at sea, mostly insubmarines, and was a submarine commander. He also worked with ocean-related research and development for the Navy.[4][5]
Walsh wasappointed as special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research and Development from 1971 to 1972.
Serving as Dean of Marine Programs and Professor ofOcean Engineering at theUniversity of Southern California, Walsh initiated and directed the university's Institute for Marine and Coastal Studies. In 1989, his company, International Maritime Incorporated, contracted a joint venture with theP.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology to establish an underwater maintenance company, Soyuz Marine Service, which continues to operate in theRussian Federation. Walsh continued to support ocean sciences in his work on the Ocean Sciences Board at theNational Academy of Sciences.[6]
He managed a marine consulting business beginning in 1976, and as of 2010[update] conducted about five deep-sea expeditions per year.[7]
Walsh held a faculty appointment atOregon State University in theCollege of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences.[8][9]
It was reported in 2010 that Walsh visited the deep-sea submersibleJiaolong and its makers at the China Ship Scientific Research Center. The craft had "planted a Chinese flag on the bottom of the South China Sea during a two-mile-deep dive in June" as the Chinese program—which Walsh characterized as "very deliberate"—proceeded toward its ambitious goal of diving to 7,000 meters, or 4.35 miles, in 2012.[10]
Walsh lived with his wife, Joan, inSitkum, Oregon, on a ranch which they bought 1992. They had two children together. Walsh remained active with theNational Academy of Sciences and the Ocean Elders organization.[11][12]
Walsh was on-site to congratulateVictor Vescovo when he completed his own record-breaking series of dives in theChallenger Deep in 2019.[13] In June 2020, Walsh's son Kelly dived to the bottom of the Challenger Deep with Vescovo, becoming the twelfth person to reach the deepest point in the ocean.[14]
Walsh died at his home inMyrtle Point, Oregon on November 12, 2023, at the age of 92.[1][15]
Walsh visited the wreck of theRMSTitanic on board the submersibleMIR 2 on 20 July 2001.[16]
Walsh joined the team that oversaw the dive of theDeepsea Challenger mission, during whichJames Cameron dived solo to the bottom of theChallenger Deep, on March 26, 2012.[17]
Walsh was the inspiration for Chris Wright's 2015 bookNo More Worlds to Conquer, and his interview constitutes the opening chapter. The book, about moving on from the defining moment in one's life, was inspired by Walsh's answer to Wright's question, "What came next after theTrieste dive?" Walsh responded, "Well, a lot of people think I died."[18]
Walsh was appointed by PresidentsCarter andReagan to the U.S. National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere, was a member of the Law of the Sea Advisory Committee for theU.S. Department of State, and served as a member of the Marine Board of theU.S. National Research Council from 1990 to 1993.
In 2001, Walsh was elected to theNational Academy of Engineering.[19]
Walsh was named one of the world's great explorers byLife magazine.[2]
On April 14, 2010, TheNational Geographic Society awarded its highest honor, theHubbard Medal, to Walsh. The U.S. Navy awarded Walsh itsDistinguished Public Service Award.[20]
On September 22, 2020, TheMarine Technology Society and TheSociety for Underwater Technology announced that the inaugural recipient of their new MTS/SUT Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration wasEdith Widder.[21]
On January 10, 2025,Secretary of the NavyCarlos Del Toro announced thelead ship of theExplorer class ofocean surveillance ships will be named the USNSDon Walsh (T-AGOS 25) after Walsh. Walsh's spouse and daughter, Joan Walsh and Liz Walsh, were namedship sponsors.[22]
Recognitions include the following:[23]
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| Navy Distinguished Public Service Award | |
| Legion of Merit | Legion of Merit |
| Meritorious Service Medal | Meritorious Service Medal |
| Antarctica Service Medal | |
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Legion of Merit to Lieutenant Don Walsh, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services from January 1959 to January 1960 as Officer-in-Charge of the Bathyscaph Trieste. Throughout this period, Lieutenant Walsh exercised marked professional skill and resourcefulness in carrying out an important assignment. During deep-diving operations in the Marianas Trench, he successfully completed a series of record-breaking dives, culminated by a dive to the unprecedented depth of 37,800 feet on 23 January 1960.[24][25]
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