Deep Diving Submarines

Triton Submarine

While I was reading about submarines this week, I came across the Triton website. These guys are building little two or three man subs that can reach some amazing depths. They are not cruising submarines, they are exploring the depths, and what depths they can reach!  Their standard model can reach 1000 feet, their heavy duty model can reach 3000 feet, and they are talking about building one that can reach 20,000 feet! Compare that to depths of some other submarines (stolen from an earlier post. I gathered the data from Wikipedia.):

• 100 feet: Modern plastic tourist submarine.
• 300 feet: World War I submarines with carbon steel hulls.
• 600 feet: World War II submarines with alloy steel hulls.
• 1,000 feet: Modern military submarines with high-strength alloy steel hulls, Triton Standard Duty.
• 3,000: feet Triton Heavy Duty
• 4,000 feet: Rumor of crazy Russian military submarine with titanium hull.
• 5,000: feet (one mile): The BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexcio last year.
• 15,000: feet: Alvin Research Submarine
• 20,000: feet Crazy new Triton Super Duty
• 35,000: feet: Deepest part of the ocean (Mariana Trench) reached in 1960 by the Trieste.

The pressure hull is an acrylic sphere. The walls of the heavy duty model are over six inches thick. Of course they are a bit pricey, about in the same stratosphere as a fancy new super-car. On the other hand, you don't have to be the leader of a modern industrial nation in order to get one built, you can just buy one. Pretty fricking amazing.

Update February 2017 replaced missing picture.