In the manned submersible Hakuyo's forty-year history it boasts more than 7,900 dives, a record unmatched around the world. Its dive objectives have varied widely, including surveys for seabed cables and pipelines, the filming of seabed organisms, biological and hydrothermal vent studies, and search and recovery of sunken vessels, aircraft, and other objects. Although unmanned submersibles now predominate in deep-sea exploration, I believe there is still a large role to be played by manned submersibles, which allow inspection by the naked eye.

Page Top