DSRV-1 Mystic

DSRV-1 Mystic is a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle that is rated to dive up to 1500 metres. DSRV1 was built by Lockheed for the U.S. Navy and launched 24 January 1970.

The senior engineer responsible for the project was Paul Philip Prelitz (father of Chris Prelitz). Mr. Prelitz was also the senior engineer for the Sealab II "Man in the Sea" project.

Mystic was launched on 24 January 1970. The submarine, intended to be air transportable, was 50 ft long, 8 ft in diameter, and weighed 37 tons. The sub was capable of descending to 5000 ft below the surface and could carry 24 passengers at a time in addition to its crew. The sub was stationed at North Island Naval Station in San Diego and was never required to conduct an actual rescue operation.

Mystic was decommissioned on September 30, 2008. The submarine may be donated to the Naval Undersea Museum.

In fiction
In fiction, it was used in the 1978 film Gray Lady Down as a rescue vehicle following a submarine accident, as well as Tom Clancy's novel The Hunt for Red October and film based on it The Hunt for Red October to ferry men from the USS Dallas to the Red October.