DSV Shinkai 6500
| History | |
|---|---|
| Japan | |
| Name | Shinkai 6500 |
| Builder | Mitsubishi |
| In service | 1989 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Deep-submergence vehicle |
| Length | 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power | Electric motor |
| Speed | 2.5 knots (4.6 km/h; 2.9 mph) |
| Endurance | 129 hrs |
| Test depth | 6,500 m (21,300 ft) |
| Complement | 3 |
Shinkai 6500 (しんかい) is a crewed research submersible that can dive up to a depth of 6,500 metres (21,300 ft). It was completed in 1990. The Shinkai 6500 is owned and run by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and it is launched from the support vessel Yokosuka.
Two pilots and one researcher operate within a 73.5 mm-thick (2.89 in) titanium pressure hull with an internal diameter of 2.0 metres (6 ft 7 in). Buoyancy is provided by syntactic foam.
Three 14 cm (5.5 in) methacrylate resin view ports are arranged at the front and on each side of the vehicle.
A Lego set based on the submersible was created through the Lego Cuusoo website.