bathysphere

bathysphere
/bath"euh sfear'/, n. Oceanog.
a spherical diving apparatus from which to study deep-sea life, lowered into the ocean depths by a cable.
[1925-30; BATHY- + -SPHERE]

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▪ water vessel
      spherical steel vessel for use in undersea observation, provided with portholes and suspended by a cable from a boat. Built by the American zoologist William Beebe (Beebe, William) and the American engineer Otis Barton, the bathysphere made its first dives in 1930. On June 11, 1930, it reached a depth of 400 m, or about 1,300 feet, and in 1934, Beebe and Barton reached 900 m, or about 3,000 feet. Through these dives, the bathysphere proved its qualities but also revealed weaknesses. It was difficult to operate and involved considerable potential risks. A break in the suspension cable would have meant certain death for the observers; surface waves and resulting movement of the boat could have produced such a fatal strain. Because of these disadvantages, the bathysphere was supplanted by the safer, more maneuverable mesoscaphe and bathyscaphe.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • bathysphère — [ batisfɛr ] n. f. • 1928; de bathy et sphère ♦ Sphère très résistante reliée à la surface par un câble pour explorer les grandes profondeurs sous marines. ● bathysphère nom féminin Sphère de plongée, suspendue par un câble à un engin de surface …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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  • bathysphere — ath y*sphere n. a spherical deep diving apparatus (lowered by a cable) for underwater exploration; it is constructed with a strong steel shell to withstand high pressures at the ocean bottom. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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