Acquired 1 June 1970 Launched 24 January 1970 Test depth 1,524 m | Out of service 1 October 2008 Length 15 m | |
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Name Official DSRV-1Unofficial Mystic Namesake Mystic, a village in Connecticut Class and type DSRV-1- (Mystic-) class deep submergence rescue vehicle | ||
DSRV-1 Mystic is a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle that is rated to dive up to 5000 feet (1500 m). DSRV-1 was built by Lockheed for the U.S. Navy at a construction cost of $41 million and launched 24 January 1970. She was declared fully operational in 1977 and named Mystic.
The submarine, intended to be air transportable, was 50 feet (15 m) long, 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter, and weighed 37 tons. The sub was capable of descending to 5,000 feet (1,500 m) below the surface and could carry 24 passengers at a time in addition to her crew. The sub was stationed at North Island Naval Station in San Diego and was never required to conduct an actual rescue operation. Last pilot to qualify was STS1(SS/DV) Jason E. Clayton. Mystic was replaced by the SRDRS on September 30, 2008 and began deactivation on October 1, 2008. In October 2014, the submarine was donated to the Naval Undersea Museum.
In fiction
In fiction, she was used in the 1978 film Gray Lady Down as a rescue vehicle following a submarine accident, as well as Tom Clancy's novel The Hunt for Red October and film based on it The Hunt for Red October to ferry men from the USS Dallas to Red October.
