Name Shinkai 6500 Beam 2.7 m (8.9 ft) Installed power electric motor | In service 1989 Draft 3.2 m (10 ft) Length 9.5 m | |
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The Shinkai 6500 (しんかい) is a manned research submersible that can dive up to a depth of 6,500 m. It was completed in 1990 and it had the greatest depth range of any manned research vehicle in the world until June 19, 2012, where its record was beaten by Jiaolong which dived at 6,965 m. The Shinkai 6500 is owned and run by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and it is launched from the support vessel Yokosuka.
Two pilots and one researcher operate within a 73.5 mm thick titanium pressure hull with an internal diameter of 2.0 m. Buoyancy is provided by syntactic foam.
Three 14 cm methacrylate resin view ports are arranged at the front and on each side of the vehicle.
A Lego set based on the submersible was created through the Lego Cuusoo website.
