 Pisces V | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Pisces IV and Pisces V |
| Owner | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| Operator | Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory |
| Builder | Hyco International Hydrodynamics,North Vancouver |
| Completed | Early 1970s |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 13,000kg |
| Length | 6.10 m (20 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in) |
| Height | 3.35 m (11 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 × side-mounted reversible thrusters tiltable through 90 degree, 2 × lead-acid battery systems: 120 V DC at 330 Ah capacity and 12–24 V DC at 220 Ah capacity |
| Speed | 2.0 knots |
| Range | 7–10 hours operational time |
| Endurance | 140 hours life support for 3 people |
| Test depth | 2,000 m (6,600 ft) |
| Crew | 3 persons |
| Sensors & processing systems | Tritech SeaKing digital high definitionsonar,Laser scaling system, Falmouth Scientific Micro CTD, Simradaltimeter sonar, Seabird Electronics Seacat CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) seawater profiler, TrackLink 5000HA USBL submersible tracking system, Sonatech long baseline acoustic tracking system, externally-mountedthermistors-internal meters |
| Notes | 600 lb payload. HYCO Hydrodynamics manipulator: Schilling Titan 7 degrees of freedom[1] |
Pisces-class submersibles are three-person researchdeep-submergence vehicles designed and built by Hyco International Hydrodynamics ofNorth Vancouver inBritish Columbia with a maximum operating depth of 2,000 m (6,560 ft). The vehicles have multiple view ports and sample collecting, environmental sensing, and instrument placement capabilities. Thepressure hull has a 7 ft (2.1 m) inside diameter and is made ofHY-100steel with three forward-lookingacrylic windows, 6 in (15 cm) in diameter. Designed byAllan Trice, thePisces series of submersibles were representative of crewed submersibles built in the late 1960s and were proven workhorses in offshore exploration andoceanographic research.Pisces II was the first production model of the design and was completed in 1968, with nine morePisces submarines built before the manufacturer went out of business in the late 1970s.
Pisces III was being used to bury cable and repeaters of theCANTAT-2transatlantic telephone cable on the sea bottom offIreland in 1973 when a buoyancy tank was inadvertently flooded. It sank to the bottom of the ocean with its two-man crew, Britons Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman, stranded at a depth of 1,575 feet (480 m) and 72 hours of available life support, which they were able to extend to 76 hours by careful conservation.[2][3][4][5][6] Initial rescue efforts byPisces III sister submersibles were unsuccessful. Through an international effort of theUnited States,Canada, andGreat Britain, the U.S. Navy Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle (CURV-III) was deployed within 24 hours 6,000 miles from its home base. Deployment of CURV-III fromCCGSJohn Cabot was hampered by heavy sea conditions. Rapid repairs were made when CURV-III’sgyroscope failed and electronics shorted-out after sea water came aboard theCabot. Assisted by the submersiblesPisces II andPisces V, CURV-III was able to attach lines to thePisces III hatch. TheCabot raised CURV-III at 60 to 100 feet (18 to 30 m) per minute until their lines entangled. The lines were cut, CURV-III was abandoned, andPisces III was floated to 60 feet (18 m) wherescuba divers were able to attach lines that were used to liftPisces III the rest of the way to the surface. CURV-III had performed the deepest underwater rescue in history whenPisces III’s two-man crew was rescued after 76 hours with just 12 minutes[7] of air remaining.[3][4][5][6][8]
Pisces IV andPisces V are currently operated for research by theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, based in Hawaii. Its mother ship, theR/V Kaʻimikai-o-Kanaloa, launchesPisces V and its sister vesselPisces IV from an A-frame hoist on its aft deck.[9]
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Pisces IV was built for theSoviet Union in 1971, but due tonational securityconcerns from theUnited States that sensitive technology might be transferred to the Soviets, the Canadian government refused to issue the export permit and instead purchased it for itsDepartment of Fisheries and Oceans. BothPisces IV andV are currently operated by theHawai‘i Underwater Research Laboratory, part of the U.S.National Undersea Research Program. The secondPisces is kept on board in a ready state in case of an emergency.
Pisces VI was purchased out of storage from International Underwater Contractors in 2015. The vessel underwent a complete refit in Salina, Kansas, and Vancouver, Canada, and then was moved to Tenerife, Canary Islands, where it got certified and insured.It was re-engineered to provide a versatile deep water platform to meet the needs of the underwater research community. Currently, the submarine provides services to the scientific community around the world.[10]
Pisces VII andPisces XI were built in 1975 and used by theShirshov Institute of Oceanology of theAcademy of Sciences of the Soviet Union for about ten years, until being replaced by theMir submersibles.[11][12]Akademik Kurchatov,Dmitri Mendeleev, andAkademik Mstislav Keldysh served as their support ships.[13]
| DSV | Completed | Depth (ft) | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| PISCES I | 1965 | 1,200 | 2 |
| PISCES II | 1968 | 2,600 | 2/3 |
| PISCES III | 1969 | 3,600 | 2/3 |
| PISCES IV | 1971 | 6500 | 3 |
| PISCES V | 1973 | 6500 | 3 |
| PISCES VI | 1976 | 8300 | 3 |
| PISCES VII | 1976 | 6500 | 3 |
| PISCES VIII | 1976 | 3300 | 3 |
| PISCES IX | Unbuilt | 8300 | 3 |
| PISCES X | 1976 | 3300 | 3 |
| PISCES XI | 1976 | 6500 | 3 |
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