Virgin Oceanic

Last updated
Virgin Oceanic, LLC
Company type Limited liability company
Founded2009 (2009)
Founder Richard Branson
Parent Virgin Group
Website www.virginoceanic.com

Virgin Oceanic [1] (originally Virgin Aquatic) [2] is an undersea leisure venture of Newport Beach, CA businessman Chris Welsh and Sir Richard Branson, part of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group. The brand was first reported in a 2009 Time Magazine interview. [2] The flagship service provided by Virgin Oceanic was intended to take visitors to the deepest parts of the ocean; however, as of late 2014, the project has been put on hold until more suitable technologies are developed. [3]

Contents

Fleet

Shallow diving program

The company is offering a shallow water "wet" submersible, Graham Hawkes's Hawkes Ocean Technologies Deep Flight Merlin named Necker Nymph after Branson's private island in the British Virgin Islands, Virgin Limited Edition Necker Island. [1] The Necker Nymph uses the Necker Belle as its mothership.

Necker Nymph

The shallow dive program utilizes the scuba-sub Necker Nymph, a HOT DeepFlight Merlin. It is a three-place sub, with two passengers and one dive pilot. All three are required to wear scuba gear. [4]

Deep diving program

The company plans to launch a deep sea submersible capable of carrying its passenger to extreme ocean depths. The deep sea adventure will be supported by the 125-ft super-catamaran Cheyenne mothership, and plans to use the HOT DeepFlight Challenger sub [5] to make dives to the depths of the worlds oceans. [6] [7] Both the catamaran and the submersible were formerly owned by Steve Fossett, who had modified the racing catamaran to become the mothership for his planned oceanic dive record attempt. [6] After Steve Fossett's death the project went on hold until Chris Welsh purchased the equipment from Fossett's estate and restarted the endeavor. The attempt on Challenger Deep was first announced in April 2011. [8]

DeepFlight Challenger

This deep sea submersible, currently in the construction and testing phase, seats one person. [7] The company has stated that it will be able to dive to the deepest part of the ocean, which has been measured to be somewhere between 10.91 kilometres (6.78 mi) deep and 11.03 kilometres (6.85 mi) deep. Only two subs in history, the Bathyscaphe Trieste in 1960 and Deepsea Challenger in 2012 have ever reached the deepest known point in the ocean at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. [9] [10] The sub's outer casing is made of a carbon fiber composite and is designed to maximize hydrodynamics. The second level of casing holds the batteries, dive tanks and all other components. The third and inner most layer is made of titanium with a quartz crystal viewing dome. Instead of using ballast like a typical submersible the DeepFlight Challenger will "fly" to the ocean floor using propulsion. The DeepFlight Challenger uses a custom lithium-ion battery system to power its two motors.

Five Dives project

Over the course of 2012 and beyond, Virgin Oceanic plans for their one-person sub to journey to the deepest part of each of Earth's five oceans. [11] The first dive is planned for the deepest place on the planet: the bottom of the Mariana Trench – about 11 kilometers (7 mi) below the ocean's surface. This will be the third time human eyes have set sight there. This time, the plan is for a sub that "flies" more akin to an airplane which should allow its solo pilot, Chris Welsh, to not only reach the deepest point on Earth, but to then "fly" along the bottom of the Trench for up to an additional 10 kilometers (6 mi).

The second dive planned – to the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench – will be piloted by Sir Richard Branson. This trench is the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean at over 8 kilometers (5 mi) below sea level. This location is also near to Branson's home and resort on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.

Subsequent dives will be planned to carry a human pilot to the bottom of the Arctic, Southern and Indian oceans. Less than 3% of the seafloor has been explored, and none of the deepest points of the planet's oceans have ever been explored[ citation needed ] beyond a brief visit to one. The opportunities to see and learn from such dives are viewed as monumental.

Key dates and timings

Originally Virgin Oceanic's first dive was announced to be scheduled for August 2011 at the Mariana Trench later in 2011, and further dives were scheduled over the next 24 months. As of 20 September 2011 the research and development phase of the program has been extended due to work on design modification, this will extend the testing period through the end of 2011 and move the earliest opportunity of a first dive into early 2012. As of 21 February 2012, Virgin Oceanic reported successful tests of the ballast and life support systems. [12] However, in June 2012, Welsh described a crack in the sub's protective quartz sphere which would necessitate the sphere's replacement before any deep dives could take place. [13] By September 2012, variable buoyancy problems detected in summer testing had been resolved. [14]

Based on testing at high pressure, the DeepFlight Challenger was determined to be suitable only for a single dive, not the repeated uses that had been planned as part of Virgin Oceanic service. As such, in 2014, Virgin Oceanic "scrapped" plans for the five dives project using the DeepFlight Challenger, as originally conceived, putting plans on hold until more suitable technologies are developed. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Trieste</i> (bathyscaphe) Deep sea scientific submersible

Trieste is a Swiss-designed, Italian-built deep-diving research bathyscaphe. In 1960, it became the first crewed vessel to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in Earth's seabed. The mission was the final goal for Project Nekton, a series of dives conducted by the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean near Guam. The vessel was piloted by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard and US Navy lieutenant Don Walsh. They reached a depth of about 10,916 metres (35,814 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana Trench</span> Deepest oceanic trench on Earth

The Mariana Trench is an oceanic trench located in the western Pacific Ocean, about 200 kilometres (124 mi) east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about 2,550 km (1,580 mi) in length and 69 km (43 mi) in width. The maximum known depth is 10,984 ± 25 metres at the southern end of a small slot-shaped valley in its floor known as the Challenger Deep. The deepest point of the trench is more than 2 km (1.2 mi) farther from sea level than the peak of Mount Everest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathyscaphe</span> Free-diving self-propelled deep-sea submersible

A bathyscaphe is a free-diving, self-propelled deep-sea submersible, consisting of a crew cabin similar to a Bathysphere, but suspended below a float rather than from a surface cable, as in the classic Bathysphere design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Submersible</span> Small watercraft able to navigate under water

A submersible is an underwater vehicle which needs to be transported and supported by a larger watercraft or platform. This distinguishes submersibles from submarines, which are self-supporting and capable of prolonged independent operation at sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Piccard</span> Swiss oceanographer and engineer (1922–2008)

Jacques Piccard was a Swiss oceanographer and engineer, known for having developed underwater submarines for studying ocean currents. In the Challenger Deep, he and Lieutenant Don Walsh of the United States Navy were the first people to explore the deepest known part of the world's ocean, and the deepest known location on the surface of Earth's crust, the Mariana Trench, located in the western North Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep-submergence vehicle</span> Self-propelled deep-diving crewed submersible

A deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) is a deep-diving crewed submersible that is self-propelled. Several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs. DSVs are commonly divided into two types: research DSVs, which are used for exploration and surveying, and DSRVs, which are intended to be used for rescuing the crew of a sunken navy submarine, clandestine (espionage) missions, or both. DSRVs are equipped with docking chambers to allow personnel ingress and egress via a manhole.

<i>Kaikō</i> ROV Japanese remotely operated underwater vehicle for deep sea exploration

Kaikō was a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) built by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for exploration of the deep sea. Kaikō was the second of only five vessels ever to reach the bottom of the Challenger Deep, as of 2019. Between 1995 and 2003, this 10.6 ton unmanned submersible conducted more than 250 dives, collecting 350 biological species, some of which could prove to be useful in medical and industrial applications. On 29 May 2003, Kaikō was lost at sea off the coast of Shikoku Island during Typhoon Chan-Hom, when a secondary cable connecting it to its launcher at the ocean surface broke.

A personal submarine is a submarine, usually privately funded and constructed, which is usually primarily intended for recreational use.

Cheyenne, formerly known as PlayStation is a large catamaran created for the 2000 around the world race known as The Race. Like its competitors, Cheyenne was created for sheer speed, pushing the state of the art in materials, construction, and operation. PlayStation was skippered and owned by Steve Fossett. It is owned by and operated by Virgin Oceanic's co-founder Chris Welsh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Project Nekton</span> Series of test dives and deep-submergence operations in the Pacific Ocean

Project Nekton was the codename for a series of very shallow test dives and also deep-submergence operations in the Pacific Ocean near Guam that ended with the United States Navy-owned research bathyscaphe Trieste entering the Challenger Deep, the deepest surveyed point in the world's oceans.

ABISMO is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) built by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for exploration of the deep sea. It is the only remaining ROV rated to 11,000-meters, ABISMO is intended to be the permanent replacement for Kaikō, a ROV that was lost at sea in 2003.

The Necker Nymph is a submersible vehicle operated by Virgin Aquatic from the 32-metre yacht Necker Belle, which is based at the Virgin Limited Edition resort Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.

DeepFlight Merlin is a personal submarine by Hawkes Ocean Technologies, part of the DeepFlight line of submersibles. The positively buoyant submersible was designed by Graham Hawkes. The Merlin was the first winged open-cockpit submarine available on the market, and first three-man submarine in the "aero submarine" class, representing a major advance in scuba diving technology.

Hawkes Ocean Technologies is a marine engineering firm that specializes in consumer submarines, founded by Graham Hawkes. It is headquartered in San Francisco, US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Hawkes</span> British marine engineer and designer of deep submersibles

Graham Hawkes is a London-born marine engineer and submarine designer. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Hawkes designed 70% of the crewed submersibles produced in those two decades. As late as 2007, he held the world solo dive record of 910 metres (2,990 ft) in the submarine Deep Rover.

<i>Jiaolong</i> (submersible) Chinese crewed deep-sea research submersible

Jiaolong is a Chinese crewed deep-sea research submersible that can dive to a depth of over 7,000 metres (23,000 ft), developed from the Sea Pole-class bathyscaphe. It has the second-greatest depth range of any crewed research vehicle of the Chinese Navy; the only crewed expeditions to have gone deeper were the dives of the Trieste bathyscaphe in 1960, Archimède in 1962, Deepsea Challenger in 2012, and DSV Limiting Factor in 2019.

<i>Deepsea Challenger</i> Submersible that traveled to the Challenger Deep

Deepsea Challenger is a 7.3-metre (24 ft) deep-diving submersible designed to reach the bottom of the Challenger Deep, the deepest-known point on Earth. On 26 March 2012, Canadian film director James Cameron piloted the craft to accomplish this goal in the second crewed dive reaching the Challenger Deep. Built in Sydney, Australia, by the research and design company Acheron Project Pty Ltd, Deepsea Challenger includes scientific sampling equipment and high-definition 3-D cameras; it reached the ocean's deepest point after two hours and 36 minutes of descent from the surface.

DeepFlight Challenger is a one-person submersible built with the intention of reaching the Challenger Deep, utilizing DeepFlight technology from Hawkes Ocean Technologies. The submersible is owned by Virgin Oceanic.

DOER Marine is a marine technology company established in 1992 by oceanographer Sylvia Earle, based in Alameda, California.

Striver (bathyscaphe) Chinese deep submergence vehicle

Striver bathyscaphe is a type of deep-submergence vehicle built in the People's Republic of China (PRC). It was built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It can accommodate three crew members, and is designed to reach depths of more than 10,000 meters. Striver is equipped with two mechanical arms, seven underwater cameras, seven sonars, hydraulic drills, and other scientific devices. On 10 November 2020, the bottom of the Challenger Deep was reached by Striver with three Chinese scientists onboard whilst livestreaming the descent to a reported depth of 10,909 m (35,791 ft).

References

  1. 1 2 gizmag.com, "Necker Nymph: underwater flying becomes Virgin territory", Noel McKeegan, 21 January 2010 (accessed 25 July 2010)
  2. 1 2 Time Magazine, "Virgin Founder Richard Branson", Dan Fletcher, 1 September 2009
  3. 1 2 Mendick, Robert; Nicholls, Dominic (13 December 2014). "Sir Richard Branson quietly shelves Virgin submarine plan". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Necker Belle, Necker Nymph (accessed 27 March 2012)
  5. ↑ Virgin Oceanic, Operations Team Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 25 May 2011)
  6. 1 2 Virgin Oceanic, Catamaran (accessed 25 May 2011)
  7. 1 2 Virgin Oceanic, Sub Archived 7 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 25 May 2011)
  8. ↑ Popular Mechanics, "Q&A With Graham Hawkes, the Man Who Built the Deep Flight Challenger Submersible", Sarah Fecht, 8 April 2011 (accessed 4 April 2012)
  9. ↑ History of the Bathyscaphe Trieste. http://www.bathyscaphetrieste.com/bathyscaphe_trieste.html
  10. ↑ National Geographic, "James Cameron Completes Record-Breaking Mariana Trench Dive", Ker Than, 25 March 2012 (accessed 27 March 2012)
  11. ↑ Hawkes Ocean Technologies, Infosheet DeepFlight Challenger Archived 15 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 25 March 2012)
  12. ↑ Virgin Oceanic (21 February 2012). "Testing the Sub". Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  13. ↑ "Branson-sponsored deep-sea project faces delays". 23 June 2012. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  14. ↑ "Tests continue for Virgin Oceanic". 7 September 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.

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