Asherah (submarine)

Asherah was the first commercially built American research submersible, used by archaeologist George F. Bass to examine underwater sites. It was named after Asherah, an ancient Semitic goddess known as "she who treads on the sea".

The two-man submarine was built by General Dynamics, Groton, Connecticut, USA, and could dive to a depth of 600 feet (180 m). Commissioned in 1963 and launched in 1964, it was used to develop a new system of stereoscopy, and allowed Bass to become the first to use side-scanning sonar to locate a shipwreck.