Trieste (bathyscaphe)

About

Trieste is a Swiss-designed, Italian-built deep-diving research bathyscaphe. In 1960, it became the first crewed vessel to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in Earth's seabed. The mission was the final goal for Project Nekton, a series of dives conducted by the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean near Guam. The vessel was piloted by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and US Navy lieutenant Don Walsh. They reached a depth of about 10,916 metres (35,814 ft). The bathyscaphe was designed by Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard, the father of pilot Jacques Piccard. It was built at the Navalmeccanica in Castellammare di Stabia, Italy, and launched on 1 August 1953. The vessel was first owned and operated by Auguste Piccard until it was purchased by the Office of Naval Research in 1958 for US$267,000. This would be equivalent to $3.0 million in 2024. Subsequently the vehicle was turned over to the Bureau of Ships' Naval Electronics Laboratory at San Diego. It was taken out of service in 1966. Since the 1980s, it has been on exhibit in the National Museum of the United States Navy in Washington, D.C.