Bathysphere
The Bathysphere was a pioneering deep-sea submersible developed in the early 1930s by naturalist William Beebe and engineer Otis Barton. This spherical, tethered vessel, weighing 5,000 pounds and measuring 4.75 feet in diameter, was designed for exploring ocean depths previously unreachable by humans. Equipped with thick steel walls, windows for observation, a spotlight, oxygen tanks, and a communication system, the Bathysphere was lowered from a surface ship via a steel cable. Its first successful manned dive occurred on June 3, 1930, and subsequent dives revealed remarkable findings, including a record descent of 3,030 feet and the discovery of unique luminescent marine species.
The dives garnered significant public interest, with findings published in various popular media, including National Geographic. Despite its groundbreaking achievements, the Bathysphere's limitations, such as its inability to move horizontally and the lack of an escape mechanism in emergencies, highlighted the need for more advanced submersible technologies. Ultimately, while the Bathysphere laid the groundwork for future deep-sea exploration, it was the development of submarines that would facilitate further research into the ocean's depths.
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Bathysphere
Device for deep-sea study
First-hand scientific exploration of the deep ocean took place for the first time in the 1930’s.
Little was known scientifically about the ocean depths prior to the 1930’s. The naturalist William Beebe became the first scientist to use a diving helmet to explore the ocean, but only in fairly shallow depths. While pondering the design of a vehicle for even deeper exploration, he was introduced to a young engineer, Otis Barton, who had already designed such a craft, and the two made plans to build it.
The bathysphere, as Beebe named it, was a 5,000 pound tethered sphere with a diameter of 4.75 feet and steel walls 1.5 inches thick. It had four windows, a water spotlight, oxygen tanks for breathing, a telephone for communication with the surface, and a steel door that was bolted closed prior to descent. The device was lowered by steel cable from a winch on a surface ship.
Three seasons of dives were made in the Atlantic Ocean near Nonsuch Island off Bermuda. The first manned dive, on June 3, 1930, proved that the device worked and yielded useful observations. A final dive that year descended to 1,425 feet. A dive conducted on September 22, 1932, was broadcast live by the National Broadcasting Company and reached a depth of 2,200 feet. On August 15, 1934, during the final season, a record dive of 3,030 feet was made. Beyond the depth records, the dives established that light disappeared while descending by color according to wavelength, as scientists had predicted, and that many new and exotic species of luminescent fish and jellyfish lived in the hostile blackness of the deep.
Impact
Beebe and Barton had descended farther than any other living humans and had uncovered a largely unsuspected deep-sea ecosystem. The public was fascinated by the reports of the dives, published in National Geographic and other magazines and in Beebe’s own popular account, Half Mile Down (1934). However, the bathysphere had limitations: It could move vertically only; its use in deeper dives required more steel cable, which called for larger and more expensive ships; and no escape mechanism existed in the event of a catastrophic leak. These factors meant that future exploration had to be made using submarines and other nontethered submersible craft.
Bibliography
Beebe, William. Half Mile Down. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1934.
Gould, Carol Grant. The Remarkable Life of William Beebe: Explorer and Naturalist. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2004.
Matsen, Bradford. Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss. New York: Pantheon Books, 2005.
Welker, Robert Henry. Natural Man: The Life of William Beebe. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1975.