| |
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Pisces V |
| Country: | United States |
| |
| Length: | 20 ft |
| Width: | 10 ft 6in |
| Height: | 11 ft |
| Weight: | 13 tons |
| Crew: | 1 Pilot 2 Observers |
| Life support: | 140 hours for 3 people |
| Maximum operating depth: | 6,280 ft(~2000m) |
| Power: | 2 lead-acid battery systems |
| Propulsion: | 2 side-mounted reversible thrusters tiltable through 90 degrees |
| Speed: | 3 Kts |
| Dive duration: | 7–9 hours |
| Materials: | Personnel sphere, Trim sphere, and Aft sphere: HY 100 steel |
| Frame: | Welded, oil-filled, pressure compensated tubular steel |
| Viewports: | 3 forward-looking acrylic windows, 6" interior-14" dia exterior |
Pisces V is a type of crewed submersible ocean exploration device, powered by battery, and capable of operating to depths of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft), a depth that is optimum for use in the sea waters around the Hawaiian Islands. It is used by scientists to explore the deep sea around the underwater banks in the main Hawaiian Islands, as well as the underwater features and seamounts in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, specifically around Kamaʻehuakanaloa Seamount (formerly Loihi).[1]
In 1973, Pisces V took part in the rescue of Roger Mallinson and Roger Chapman, who were trapped on the seabed in Pisces V's sister submersible Pisces III.[2] In August 2002, Pisces V and her sister Pisces IV discovered a World War II Japanese midget submarine outside of Pearl Harbor which had been sunk by the destroyer USS Ward in the first American shots fired in World War II. In 2011, marine scientists from HURL celebrated the 1,000 dives of Pisces V and Pisces IV.[3]
- ^ Shackelford, Rachel. "NOAA Ocean Explorer: Pisces IV and V". oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- ^ Chapman, Roger (1975). No Time On Our Side. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 98–111, 127–129. ISBN 0-393-03186-1. LCCN 75-19154.
- ^ "Students nationwide virtually participate in Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory's 1,000th Pisces submersible dive". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2011-04-05. Retrieved 2011-04-10.