bathyscaphe

bath·y·scaphe  (bth-skf, -skf) also bath·y·scaph (-skf)

n.

A free-diving deep-sea vessel consisting of a large flotation hull with a crewed observation capsule attached to its underside, usually capable of reaching full ocean depths.

---

[bathy- + Greek skaphos, boat.]

---

bathyscaphe  (bth-skf, -skf)

A free-diving vessel used to explore the ocean at great depths. The original bathyscaphe, constructed in 1948, was made of a cylindrical metal float and a suspended steel ball that could hold two people. The float contained gasoline used to lift the vessel, and heavy iron material used for ballast. Design improvements allowed the second bathyscaphe in 1960 to descend to a record 10,912 m (35,791 ft) in the Marianas Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, almost to the deepest level ever sounded on Earth.

---

bathyscaphe, bathyscape, bathyscaph

Oceanography. a small, modified submarine for deep-sea exploration, usually having a spherical observation chamber fixed under a buoyancy chamber.

See also: Depth

---

a vessel for exploring the depths of the oceans.

See also: Sea

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

bathyscaphe - navigable deep diving vessel for underwater exploration bathyscape, bathyscaph submersible - an apparatus intended for use under water