Archimède



The bathyscaphe Archimède is a deep diving research submersible of the French Navy. It used 42000 gal of hexane as the gasoline buoyancy of its float. It was designed by Pierre Willm and Georges Houot. Archimede was the first vehicle to reach the deepest part of the Atlantic, 27510 ft down into the Puerto Rico Trench.

Archimede was christened on 27 July 1961, at the French Navy base of Toulon. It was designed to go beyond 30000 yd, and weighed 61 tons.

In October 1961, Archimede passed its first dive tests, diving to 5000 ft unmanned.

On 27 November 1961, Archimede achieved a speed of 3knots, over a distance of 4.5 mi at a depth of 7870 ft in the Mediterranean.

On 23 May 1962, Archimede descended to 15744 ft off Honshu, Japan, in the Pacific, at the Japan Deep.

On 15 July 1962, Archimede descended to 31350 ft into the Kurile-Kamchatcha Trench, making it the second deepest dive ever, at that point in time, second only to the Bathyscaphe Trieste dive on the Challenger Deep.

On 12 August 1962, Archimede descended to 30511 ft in the Japan Deep south of Tokyo.

Archimede explored the Mid-Atlantic Ridge jointly with the submarine Cyana and submersible DSV Alvin, in Project F.A.M.O.U.S.(French American Mid Ocean Underwater Survey) in 1974.

Archimede operated until the 1970s. As of 2008, it is on operational reserve, at Toulon.

The Archimede was honoured with a stamp in Palau.