China sees two manned submersibles put into joint operation in deep sea for first time

　　The first full-depth deep-sea manned submersible of China. Photo: IACAS

China's deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver) has recently completed assigned tasks in the South China Sea at a depth of 1,500 meters with a 4,500-meter manned submersible, which is the first time that two manned submersibles have been put into a joint operation in China.

The two submersibles, Fendouzhe and Shenhai Yongshi (Deep-sea Warrior), completed multiple tasks in the joint operation, including the underwater real-time positioning, voice communication, target search and recovery, and rapid mobility and collaborative task, reported Xinhua News Agency.

The tasks helped the submersibles to build a joint operation mechanism that will provide experience for future joint work.

The joint operation proved that the two manned submersibles, supported by two research support mother ships, can conduct simultaneous and coordinated dives in the same operating area, said Jiang Lei, a researcher at the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The joint operation also made it possible for a scientific research support mother ship to guarantee the simultaneous diving of the two manned submersibles, which could not only reduce operation and maintenance costs, but also improve the operational capacity of Chinese submersibles and improve operational efficiency, he said.

Striver and Deep-sea Warrior are two of the three manned submersibles in China. The other one is Jiaolong (Sea Dragon), the first self-developed deep-sea manned submersible in the country which has an operational depth of around 7,000 meters.

In November 2020,Fendouzhe set a national record by diving to a depth of 10,909 meters in the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest natural trench in the western Pacific.