submersible

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submersible Small craft for underwater exploration, research, or engineering. The bathyscaphe, invented in the 1940s by Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard, had a spherical chamber attached to a much larger hull, which functioned as a buoyancy control device. From the late 1950s, a new generation of submersibles evolved for engineering and research work. A typical craft has a spherical passenger capsule capable of withstanding water pressure down to c.3600m (12,000ft). Attached to this is a structure containing batteries, an electric motor with propeller, lighting, a mechanical arm for gathering samples, and other technical equipment.

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