WAK 06-2021 Trieste

The Bathyscaphe Trieste is a submarine designed for deep sea research, built by Acciaierie Terni and Cantieri Riuniti dell Adriatico, which was launched on August 26, 1953. Trieste was 18.1 meters long and its hull diameter was 3.5 meters. The constructor of the vessel was August Piccard, who used steel with increased strength in some parts of the ship, up to 12.7 cm thick. The first trial dive took place in 1953 near the island of Capri, and the ship was acquired by the US Navy in 1957 and used in the so-called Project Nekton, which aimed to study the deepest known oceanic trench on Earth - the Marian Trench. On January 23, 1960, a bathyscaphe with a two-man crew consisting of the constructor's son Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh descended to a depth of approximately 10,910 meters in a 9-hour descent. Trieste was decommissioned in 1966. At present, its hull is on display at the National Museum of the United States Navy in Washington.