Trieste was a deep-diving research bathyscaphe[?] ("deep boat") with a crew of two. Designed by the Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard she was launched in August 1953 in the Mediterranean near Naples, Italy. She was purchased by the U.S. Navy in 1958 for $250,000.
Transported to a new base at San Diego, she was extensively modified and then used in a series of deep-submergence tests in the Pacific Ocean during the next few years, including a dive to the deepest known part of the ocean in January 1960. In late 1959 Trieste had been fitted with a stronger pressure sphere and was transported to Guam by the freighter Santa Maria to participate in Project Nekton - a series of very deep dives in the Mariana Trench. On January 23, 1960, she reached a record depth of 35,813 feet in the Challenger Deep carrying Lieutenant Don Walsh, USN, and Jacques Piccard (son of Auguste). The descent took almost five hours and the two men spent barely twenty minutes on the ocean floor before undertaking the 3 hour 15 minute ascent.
In April 1963, she was modified and used in the Atlantic Ocean to search for the missing submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593). In August 1963, Trieste found the wreck off New England, 8400 feet below the surface. The bathyscaphe was then retired and some of her components were used in the Trieste II.
Trieste is a permanent exhibit at the Navy Museum in Washington, DC.
In appearance at the time of Project Nekton she was over 50 feet long, but the great extent of this was a series of floats filled with 22,500 gallons of gasoline to provide buoyancy and air tanks at either end of the ship. The crew were in a six foot diameter steel sphere attached to the underside of the floats. An additional nine tons of pellet shot were taken on the craft to speed the descent.
Common misspelling and questions (FAQ)
ss-trieste us-trieste us-trieste usstrieste uss-rieste uss-tieste uss-treste uss-triste uss-triete uss-triese uss-triest sus-trieste uss-trieste us-strieste usst-rieste uss-rtieste uss-tireste uss-treiste uss-trisete uss-trietse uss-trieset uss-triest uuss-trieste usss-trieste usss-trieste uss--trieste uss-ttrieste uss-trrieste uss-triieste uss-trieeste uss-triesste uss-triestte uss-triestee 7ss-trieste yss-trieste hss-trieste 8ss-trieste jss-trieste 8ss-trieste iss-trieste jss-trieste uws-trieste uas-trieste uzs-trieste ues-trieste uxs-trieste ues-trieste uds-trieste uxs-trieste usw-trieste usa-trieste usz-trieste use-trieste usx-trieste use-trieste usd-trieste usx-trieste uss0trieste ussptrieste uss[trieste uss-5rieste uss-rrieste uss-frieste uss-6rieste uss-grieste uss-6rieste uss-yrieste uss-grieste uss-t4ieste uss-teieste uss-tdieste uss-t5ieste uss-tfieste uss-t5ieste uss-ttieste uss-tfieste uss-tr8este uss-trueste uss-trjeste uss-tr9este uss-trkeste uss-tr9este uss-troeste uss-trkeste uss-tri3ste uss-triwste uss-trisste uss-tri4ste uss-tridste uss-tri4ste uss-trirste uss-tridste uss-triewte uss-trieate uss-triezte uss-trieete uss-triexte uss-trieete uss-triedte uss-triexte uss-tries5e uss-triesre uss-triesfe uss-tries6e uss-triesge uss-tries6e uss-triesye uss-triesge uss-triest3 uss-triestw uss-triests uss-triest4 uss-triestd uss-triest4 uss-triestr uss-triestd uss-tryeste uss-treiste us-trieste uss-yrieste uss-tyrieste uss-triestesCarried by two shining parti-colored.