Deep sea diving vessels

The ultimate symbolical collection for La Cité de la Mer...

Here are some of the rare machines that have enabled Man to reach the depths of our oceans. These machines can be seen by everyone free of charge in the Welcome Hall.

It is impossible not to notice the remarkable Archimède bathyscaphe, the most imposing machine of all with its 57 tonnes. Just like the lift in a skyscraper, it makes the vertical descent to the abysses, having reached a staggering 545 metres in a trough on the Pacific Ocean bed. Its 2 meter-thick hull hides two passionate ocean explorers in its sphere.

A new recruit to La Cité de la Mer (January 2009) is Cyana, a diving capsule from the French sea studies institute Infremer. Much easier to manoeuvre than its predecessor, the bathyscaphe Cyana was designed to reach a more 'modest' depth but one that is still just as impressive for Man!

Next to Cyana is a life-size model of Infremer's Nautilus submarine, still used today. Nautilus carries out mainly oceanographic research missions and can dive to a depth of 6,000 metres. Amongst its most important journeys was the discovery of the Titanic wreck in 1987 at a depth of 3,780 metres.

The 'Yellow submarine' collection's last members are the COMEX submarines:

• Total Sub, with a profile sleek enough for a certain British secret agent, this sub is a real sea Jeep, used in the 60's as a quick way to move divers and their equipment around,
• Globule, a two-seater submersible originally designed for missions to observe submarine drilling equipment, this sub was long used for submarine master training at the National Institute of Professional Diving.

Several more vessels will soon be added to the collection making up part of an original new visit: the Great Gallery of Men and machines.

Other examples of these underwater vehicles are to be found in the heart of the Permanent exhibition hall (entrance fee)