Navy submarine captain, Don Walsh, set a record for the deepest ocean dive by reaching the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. Walsh made the dive in the Trieste, a deep-sea submersible purchased by the U.S. Navy for deep-sea research.
Key Points:
- Don Walsh, a Navy submarine captain, set the record for the deepest ocean dive by reaching the Challenger Deep, approximately 35,814 feet below sea level.
- The dive was conducted using the Trieste, a deep-sea submersible designed to dive deep underwater, conduct research, and return to the surface. It was originally operated by the French Navy and was bought by the Office of Naval Research in 1958.
- A second pressure sphere was built for the Trieste to enable it to reach depths of up to 36,000 feet. Walsh was in charge of its assembly, testing, and training dives.
- During the dive to the Challenger Deep, Walsh and Jacques Piccard, son of the bathyscaphe’s designer, spent 20 minutes at the bottom, observing deep-sea creatures and noting the ocean floor’s composition.
- After serving 24 years in the Navy, Walsh went on to contribute to various marine boards and committees, and he received the National Geographic Society’s highest honor, the Hubbard Medal.
