Bathysphere

A bathysphere or Bathysphere (also known as deep-sea ball ) is a pressure chamber with interior atmospheric pressure and is used for diving. The word is composed of two Greek words Bathys (low) and sphaira (ball ). The thick walls are tight and withstand the water pressure so that the pressure in the cabin does not change in the water, in contrast to the diving bell.

The bathysphere is a hollow ball that is dropped from a mother ship on a cable in the ocean depths. She does not have its own drive like a deep-sea submarine.

As Bathysphere the bathysphere of the later bathyscaphe is called.

The first bathysphere was built in 1930 by Professor Charles William Beebe and Otis Barton his engineer. With this, they appeared in the Bermuda Islands 1930 435 meters, 1932 661 meters and on 15 August 1934 - then sensational - 923 meters below the sea surface.

Technical data of the first bathysphere

• Diameter 1.44 m
• Wall thickness 38 mm
• Diameter access hatch 35 cm
• 3 out of silica glass: 20 cm diameter, 75 mm thickness
• Weight (without passengers): 2270 kg