Archimède

The Archimede is a 1961 built in France bathyscaphe. It is named after the Greek philosopher and scientist Archimedes discovered the Archimedes' principle.

History

The plans for the construction of the vehicle, the fourth Bathyscaphen world, the French Navy began in 1955. The management of the project took over Pierre Willm and the naval officer Georges Houot which started to include also the experience with the proven in the previous year FNRS -3. The project was funded by the French CNRS and the Belgian FNRS. The construction began in 1961 in the arsenal of Toulon and was terminated after launching on July 28th of the year. Also in 1961 began testing in the Mediterranean, has been achieved in up to 2,300 m depth.

In April 1962, the Archimede was transported by cargo plane to Japan, where the boat expeditions carried out in the following months in the Kuril. A maximum of 9,545 m have been achieved so far second largest after the record depth dive of the Trieste in October 1960.

In the following years further dives were made ​​with the world's Archimede. Among other things 1964, the Puerto Rico Trench (United States, 8300 m) was dived, and in 1965 the Mediterranean Sea at Cape Matapan (Greece, 5,110 m). 1966 appeared the boat from Madeira until 4390 m. 1967 another expedition was undertaken in the Kuril; this 9,260 m have been achieved. In all these dives the Archimede carried out investigations in the scientific disciplines of biology, geology and geophysics.

1968 took the boat to the search part after which sank off Toulon French submarine Minerve. Two years later, the Eurydice sank, the Archimede was also involved in the search. In addition, she played a crucial role in the 1970 rescue of at an unmanned test dive at a depth of 3,400 m lower submersible Cyana. This separated the Archimede with its gripper arm the emergency ballast of the boat from, then again that could automatically appear. Later, the bathyscaphe again participated in scientific expeditions, including the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and in the company of other submersibles like Alvin (DSV -2) or the already mentioned Cyana.

With all these things to the boat from its mother ship, the Marcel Le Bihan care was - the former air traffic control ship grip of the German Luftwaffe.

In 1974 the boat was taken out of service and stored in the naval arsenal of Cherbourg. 2001 Archimede passed into the possession of the Cherbourger Naval Museum La Cité de la Mer and is issued ever since.

Construction

In contrast to previous Bathyscaphen as the Trieste the buoyancy of the Archimede has fully ship shape. This principle had already come at the FNRS - 3 to the application and has now been perfected. Even the actual spherical pressure hull was integrated into the float. Background of this design was the requirement of the Navy, to be able to drag the Bathyscaphen on the surface with 8 knots. This was the Trieste or the FNRS -2, the first Bathyscaphen at all, hardly possible; the latter ship was badly damaged in 1948 even at the surface in tow during a storm, which shows the lack of high seas of the then buoyant body.

It was also possible in this way, the Bathyscaphen not only vertically but also horizontally to move in the dives: When an expedition in 1973 about put the Archimede on the seabed at a depth of 2,680 m for a distance of 9 km in search of rock samples back. This too was a significant advance.

The dimensions of the float included a length of 22.1 m, a maximum width of 5 m and a total height of 9.1 m. He reached 112.9 tonnes, or 170 cubic meters of gasoline as buoyancy granted liquid, next led the ship 57,50 t ballast.

The pressure body, however, was made ​​more conservative again. It was made with chromium, nickel and molybdenum alloy steel walls that were up to 15 cm thick. The entire ball inside had a diameter of 2.10 meters and weighed 19 tons. Theoretically, this ball of stress could have held up to 30,000 m water depth.

In addition, the Archimede was up to 2.7 tons payload, inter alia, transport in the form of scientific equipment. A manipulator belonged to the fixed equipment of the ship. The crew consisted of a pilot and two other people.

Gallery

The Archimede behind the carrier ship Marcel Le Bihan

Bow view of the hull, below the pressure body

Instruments for controlling

Scientific instruments

Schematic representation of a dive

Exhibition in Cherbourg

Another view of the museum ship