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The Submersible Research Vessel
SHINKAI
6500
HistoricalBackground to the Construction of SHINKAI 6500 ―
The Launching of SHINKAI 6500- ----- The Submersible Research Vessel SHINKAI 6500
Annual Program for the SHINKAI 6500
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (1}
Fractures in the Japan Trench
Seaward Slope
Formation of RegularlyOrientedCalyptogena Phaseoliformis
OVoyages of the SHINKAI 6500 {2)
The lzu-Bonin Trench
BiologicalCommunity inWhalebone Habitatand SerpentineRock
The Ogasawara Ocean Plateau (CretaceousCoralReef)
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (3)
The Nansei Shotou Trench
Horst,Rift,
and Manganese Crust
Destructionof the Slope Face
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (4)
Mariana Trough
"Alice'sSprings"Hydrothermal Chimney
^
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (5}
Southern Mariana Trough
Fissure ExtendingAlong the Deep Seabed
Voyages of theSHINKAI 6500 (6)
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Rainbow Site
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (7)
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
TAG HycJrothermal
Mound and Kane FractureZone
sJ Voyages of theSHINKAI 6500 {8)
The East Pacific Rise
Long-Term Sea-Bottom Observation
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (9)--The East Pacific Rise
A Group of HydrothermalChimneys Lined up ina Row
^
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (10)
The North FijiBasin
A Varietyof Lava
O
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (11)
The Palau Trench
A Cretaceous Wall
^Voyages
of the SHINKAI 6500 (12)
The Yap Trench
Serpentinite
on the Landward Slope Face
^
Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (13)
The Manus Basin
PACMANUS
and DESMOS
≪J Voyages of the SHINKAI 6500 (14)
The Indian Ocean
Mankind's FirstDive to the Bottom of theIndianOcean
MODE94
MODE
98
SHINKAI 6500 Dive Locations and Sea Areas
―
Histonca IBackgroundto the ^mstruction of SHINKAI6500]
Submersible
research in Japan can be traced back
research conducted
by the "Mame"
by entrepreneur Ichimatsu
(Midget)
Nishimura
to fisheries
Submersible
before World
War
built
II. At
the time, this craft reportedly boasted the highest performance
the world, with a maximum
The
Japan Marine
founded
under
in 1971
depth
(maximum
Center (JAMSTEC),
as a statutory oceanographic
built manned
(maximum
6500
Science and Technology
the supervision of the Science
(STA),
research
research institute
and Technology
submersibles
capability 2,000m)
full scale
Agency
SHINKAI
in 1981
depth capability 6,500m)
the start of Japan's
in
diving depth of 200m.
and
2000
SHINKAI
in 1989, thus marking
scientific
research
using
submersibles.
Japan
while
sought a 6,500m
France
research
and the United
submersibles
although
world's
diving capability with SHINKAI
it was
States constructed
aiming
at 6,000m
not simply
for the purpose
submergence.
countries
with
earthquake
predictions in conncction
Many
of major
frequent
earthquakes
plate subduction. The
Eurasian
earthquakes,
they meet
As
the
one of the
Japan
emphasizes
are related to oceanic
from the Pacific towards the
It has become
near the trench,
Plate, faults and frictions occur
supposedly
lead to a strong earthquake.
apparent that the location important to earthquake
predictions is 6,200-6,300m
deformations
the pJates deform
the Eurasian
releasing tremors which
deep, right below
begin, instead of the 6,000m
floor along the Japanese
maximum
of achieving
Continent sink under the Eurasian Plate along the coast
of Japanese Archipelago, As
where
capability,
with deep sea research.
in Japan
plate moving
their manned
depth
highest-performance
6500,
Archipelago.
depth capability of SHINKAI
where
deep
the plate
Pacific Ocean
This explains why
6500
was specifically
set at 6,500m.
(Shin
the
'ichiTakngawa,
JAMSTEC)
The submersible research vessel
SHINKA1
6500 was launched on
January 19. 1989-at the Mitsubishi
Heavy
Industries shipyard in the
Hyogo
ward of the city of Kobe.
Some
five hundred lid
gople involved
in the projectwitnessed the event.
The
name
SHINKAI
6500
was
determined by public participation.
At the launching ceremony,
unveiling tape
was
cut
the
by
Toshimilsu Kirihara,a fifth-grader
at Tainohata
Public Elementary
School in Kobe, who was selected
to representallthe members
of the
public who had submitted nam^H
The Submersible Research Vessel SHINKAI6500
_The SHINKAI
The SubmersibleResearch Vessel SHINKAI6500"/
6500 is 9.5m long, 2.7m wide, 3.2m high, and
weigfis^ 2&;toiis
£"£ rhe crew of the SHINKAI
6500
and the
^submersible support crew on the mother ship are known as
the SHINKAI
6500 Operations Team" .The vessel is
operated by team members
its capabilities. '
The SHINKAI
who are fullyversed in
＼i-
6500 carriesa crew of three,
two regular crew members
and one
researcher. The crew rides in a titanium
*
sphere, known as the pressurevessel,that
is 73.5mm
thick and 2m in diameter
■
inside.
Once the hatch is closed, the vessel
A
can dive to a depth of 6,500m while
maintaining an interiorpressure of
■
one atmosphere, the same as found '
on land. Since crew members
exposed
are not
to the effects of water
pressure,there is no fear of submarine
sickness and no need
for special
training,so even young children and
elderly people would be able to dive
down
to see the deep sea domain. Also
there are no effectsfrom waves under the
water, so once the vessel dives past a depth of
10m, it provides a very comfortable ride with
virtuallyno rockimr motion.
Maintaining
Inside
the
Human
when
the
Environment
Pressure
Vessel
beings consume
we
oxygen
breathe.
canisters
Oxygen
The
oxygen
the oxygen
through
container
when
When
and exhale carbon dioxide
equipped
with
carbon dioxide
the air inside the vessel filters through
of lithium
hydroxide
which
is connected
a
to a
vessel has three view
either side. The
ports, one to the front and one on
fonvard port is primarily used by the pilot (the
captain or firstmate), while the one on the port side is used by
the researcher to actually look out at the ocean floor. In
eases, crcw
members
may
change
the SH1NKAI
scale model
6500
places to look
through
a
was under construction, a one-third
of the pressure
break down
of 13,000m,
After
fabricated
first for
it was placed under increasing water
pressure until it burst. This
depth
vessel was
testing showed
under
that the pressure
the water pressure found
the actual pressure
vessel
at a
was
constructed, it was also tested under the water pressure found at
10,000m
to confirm
that it was
more
Sunlight
submersible
contains buoyant
approximately
0.54. This
provides
high
installed by packing
than strong enough
withstand the nressure at an ocean denth of 6.500m.
to
weight
because
pressure.
it into open
The
iron weights. There
approximately
The
SHINKAI
surface. The
buoyant
which
are two
about
300kg,
begins to
is
500m
When
of ballast,which
That
is in the form of
kinds of ballast, ascending
and
25kg are combined
in sets of ten
carries four sets. One
a single
voyage
requires
1.2 metric tons of ballast.
6500
is also equipped
to the sea
with ballast tanks
beneath
the ocean
of suspended
matter in
a dive, therefore, it feels as though
and evening is setting in.
the descent, the captain and
first mate
descent
monitor
the
ship at
this lime, the captain reconfirms
to 6,500m
the submersible
takes about
two
the
and a half hours.
reaches a height of about 100m
above
and the amount
of sea water in the ballast tank is adjusted to bring buoyancy
the submersible
descends gently to the ocean floor
using the vertical thruster. After
submersible
stern. The
moves
main
to
reaching the ocean
floor, the
using the main propulsion unit located at the
propulsion
unit can swivel 80P both left and
right, so italso functions as a rudder.
is usually about
worst, even the manipulator
visible, The
ocean
m, but at its
right before your eyes may
floor is not always
the submersible
not be
flat, so in order
to
distance from the bottornt
must
be able to stop quickly
the objective is sighted, the speed during research at the
ocean
floor is kept to approximately
is about
the speed
recently, most
observing,
and retrieving
samples.
equipment
placed
Now,
slowly. Until
than submerging,
however,
such
at predetermined
the equipment,
more
as locating
spots on the
and placing it at other locations.
the research on the ocean floor has been completed,
the
two sets of ballast are released and the submersible
to ascend. The
time taken ascending
to the time
for the descent.
submersible
is usually more
bccause
very
tasks are also performed,
observation
begins
0.5knots (25cm/sec). This
walking
dives involved nothing more
seabed, moving
When
of a person
everyone
feels more
The
is mostly identical
atmosphere
inside
the
relaxed than during the descent
secure after the work
of the dive
has been completed.
When
the submersible
reaches the surface, high-pressure air is
fed into the ballast tank to jettison some
of the sea water in the
tank so that part of the vessel will rise out of the water. In this
way, the submersible
10-15
at an ample
when
remaining
the ocean floor, two sets of ballast are dropped
zero. Then
and also because
complicated
dive activitieswith the researcher.
Visibility in the water
loaded with ballast is lowered
submersible
beginning
intervals. During
research, the crew members,
first be weighed.
300m
instruments and report the depth to the mother
scheduled
must
so
During
onboard
material
approximately
the sun is gradually going down
or
are slightly different in size. Individual
approximately
the water. When
spaces in the submersible's
to fourteen pieces, and the submersible
set weighs
resin. It
not deform
reaches
surface in regions with small amounts
The
on submersible
determines the amount
pieces weighing
it does
glass
the equipment.
embarking
descending,
the
material with a specific gravity of
or less in diameter set in an epoxy
under
and between
positive buoyancy,
material consists of hollow
excellent buoyancy
degenerate
Before
6500
researcher, and their equipment
collapse testing, in which
vessel would
Submersion
In order to give the SHINKAI
body
some
different port.
When
of
spheres lOOmicrons
ventilator.
The
maintain the submersible
dive.
Principles
since it is not
directly.The
or air lo adjust buoyancy.
the ballast tank vents are opened, air escapcs from the top
and sea water enters from below, and the submersible
that is consumed.
distilled water
desirable to discharge pure oxygen
is adsorbed
that can be filled with sea water
vessel is therefore
to supply
is discharged
~
maintains
recovered,
and this is how
SHINKA1
6500
comes
buoyancy
while waiting to be
an eight-hour research dive on the
to an end.
The
The
Equipment
power
cadmium
on
the
SHINKAI6500
source of general submersibles
batteries. These
sounding sonar to find objects,'
detectobstacles,and determine
are lead or nickel-
are cither stored in an atmospheric
pressure container or, in order to reduce the weight, packed
in
These
energy
SHINKAI
6500
also uses batteries as its power
are silver-zinc batteries that have
source.
about three times the
density of the lead batteries usually used in cars. They
are installed in oil-filledpressure-equalized containers. Power
from
these
batteries
is used
floodlights, electric motors,
to operate
hydraulic
the underwater
pumps,
and all other
The
submersible
to communicate
on the same
and mother
ship use an underwater
during dives. An
underwater
telephone
telephone works
principle as a radio transceiver, but since radio
waves
cannot
waves
instead. Sound
approximately
be used
underwater,
J,500ni/see. This
the mother
this telephone
uses sound
travels through the water at a speed of
depth of 6,500m, words
from
spoken
means
that during dives to a
over the underwater
ship or the submersible
telephone
take about four seconds
reach,
to measure the directionand force of sea-bottom currents,and
CTDV
sensor to measure salinity,water temperature, sound
point is that underwater
it is not possible
visually, Therefore,
forward-looking
where
to determine
the submersible
sonar
SHJNKAI
During
6500
ordinarily conducts.research
after November
submersible research requires precise knowledge
of
month^^^^^^^^^^ralf
device. '
schedule. When
for the next
begugMi^nirii^toeQmniMnjtoigi^^rirherefore,
the submersible
four research
lota oi sixty researcn c ives-
:
video cameras and a still
camera that can expose 400 frames.
One video camera is fixed and the other is movable* The
submersible is equipped with seven 250W
floodlights for
floodlights
are metal halide lamps that are very bright despite their low
wattage.
the sunlight does not
management
one's
collectedduring researchdives,
own
position
uses obstacle-avoidance
and bottom-sounding
of research dive dafa, This
6500. Every
records all data
(Katsufufhi Akazawa, JAMSTEC)
and overhead-
One Day's Typical Work Schedule
for the SHINKAI6500
is occupied
with inspection
piece of equipment
is removed,
inspections are carried out
once every four years, along with Ihe annual inspections, for
more
detailed inspections. Once
the inspections are finished,
test dives and training dives take place during March
confirm
the inspection work
iiMiaiiMillillllllillM
period
The progress of sea-bottom research can be recorded by two
illumination in dark underwater Conditions,These
through February
inspected, and repaired. Regular
research dive are
After the research dives are completed, the three-month
from December
of the SH1NKAI
a year, with a
position,three transponders can be placed on the sea bottom in
the dive area.This allows the exact positionto be determined
dives from
or early Dece
this time, fifteen research dives take place on
returns to port, preparations
velocity,and so forth.
When
The
sometime
The submersible has a total information display unit for
to reach their destination.
Another
its lieadingand an inclinometer to determine the angle of the
from inside the submersible using an acoustic positioning
equipment.
Annual Program for ffl^fTFRKAl 6500
submersible also carriesa compact gyrocompass to determine
submersible'sbody. Other equipment includes a current meter
oil in a container that is equalized at sea water pressure.
The
the distance from the bottom and from the surface. The
at sea. The
in order to
training dives are for
Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
(1)
Fractures in the Japan
Trench ^
Formation
of
Regularly
Calyptogena
"T At a depth
Japan
of 6,400
.
by aim
^
iheltfish
base
Phaseoliformis
Trench',,
. ■"
caused
there
m on
the landward
is,a'feteep
escarpment
fehfelori^formadonialong
tying
slope
called
of Hie northern
tlie Sanriku
of Calyptogena
ii^Vemarkablv,uniform
;Numbers
of
these clusters
a'iibrth^outh'zone"
^ai^B^^^^rShejlft^h>ai^.m'pught
meth^nl^i&Cfi^rogSr^ifi(3erpr6du^&
-3%cold-water
slope
.. ;*
≫aj or: reverse, fa it11..Clusters
wrt^fou?fd
pfaliis
Oriented
end
of the
Escarpment
pliaseoJit'orniis
orientation
were
tliatfollowed
to^ flourish
iby;ifiicrooraan
mat
at (he
distributed
in
the fine of the
there
due
to the
ism s in the silt.
seeps
our
a long
plate
Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
(2)
The IzU'Bonin Trench
Biological
Community
Whalebone
in
Habitat
and
Serpentine
Rock
Seamounts
(rising 1,000-2,000m
approximately
Bonin
4,000m
Trench. The
made
from
the sea floor with
deep) line on the slope 40-50km
seamounts
known
mystery.
While
investigating
Seamount,
one of the fore-arc seamounts,
discovered
around bones of a bryde's whale. A
depend
The
the Torijima
a cluster of organisms
was
multitude of organisms
Faculty of Science, Shizuoka
Ocean
Coral
Reef)
Plateau adjacent to the Marianas
limestone
5,300m
deep
that is exposed
to 5,740m
University)
Plateau
I45lh dive took placc at the southwest
13) shows
from
Wada,
Ogasawara
(Cretaceous
Ocean
are
such rocks
on the bones of the whale w hose time of death is yet known.
(Hidcki
The
of Izu
as "fore-arc seamounts"
of serpentine rocks that originate from mantles. Why
exist there remains
peaks
landward
end of the Ogasawara
Trench. The
photograph
on the steep slope which
deep.
Research
showed
(page
extends
that some
sections of thislimestone contained large quantities of calcareous algae,
while others contained large quantities of bivalves and conches. It is
thought to be sediments from
The
much
coral reef lagoon of the early Cretaceous.
limestone's present depth of 6,000m
as 6.000m
tells us that it has sunk as
since the time itwas formed
(Eiich Tokay
a ma, Ocean
Research
at the surface.
Institute.University of Tokyo)
Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
The
Nansei
Horst,
Rift,
The
seaward
Okinawa
Shotou
and
Trench
Manganese
Crust
(southeast side) slope of the Nansei
(Ryukyu)
Trench
southeast of
is formed from horst and riftthat is more"or less orthogonal to the axis of
the' trench. Horst
and riftat£
remnants of the undulations in the ocean floor from
thp time it was formed. The
periods
thick manganese
of time on ihis slope contributed
However,
where
(3)
now
that plate movements
have
crust that was
to thetsurvival
photograph
of it have
shows
begun
to break
a fissure in the manganese
(Yukihiro
Kxio, Hydrographic
of this topography.
brought the slope closer to the trench,
tectonic activity is intense, fissures have
and portions
built up over long
appeared
off together
crust more
in the manganese
with the bedrock,
crust,
The
or less at the center.
Depaitment,~Maritime
Safety Agency)
Destruction
of
the
jjffijMqcationwas found where
Slope
sections of an ocean slope are breaking off on a
*ftiiep-cliff at a depth of about 5,500m
This is the landward
south of the Yaeyama
slope of the Nunsei
Plate and the Eurasian Plate collide. The
in sediment
chipped
Face
Trench
where
Archipelago.
the Philippine'Sea
energy of this collision has resulted
breaking off along the unstable steep slope, the surface being
off, the underlying
strata being
exposed,
fomied'
and sheer cliffs being
Matsumoto,
^ _
･･･'.V'"" (Takeshi
JAMSTEC)
Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
Mariana Though
"Alice's
Springs"
Hydrothermal
Chimney
This is a transparent hydrothermal
shaped
hydrothermal
chimney
in the central Mariana
3,602m).
On
Trough
(1S °13'N, I44 °42fE, depth
thcleft in the photographbelow.
the area roiled by the outwclling
(maximum
temperature
of 280^),
the process of hydrothermal
front of the chimney
sampler
fluid and a black bottle-
observed at "Alice's Springs"
This
sampling
photograph
fluid
shows
from the vent right in
using a thermometer-equipped
attached to the manipulator.
such as sea anemones,
you can see
of hydrothermal
Diverse
water
organisms
conches, crabs, and galatheidae can
be seen in the vicinity of the chimney.
(Toshitake Gamo. Ocean Research Institute,
University of Tokyo)
(4)
Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
(5)
Southern Mariana
Trough
Fissure Extending Along the Deep
Seabed
This is one of a number
of fracture zones observed where
arc basin basalt of the same
along the seabed extending
the Southern Mariana
composition
outward
Trough, The
ropy lava (back
as the ocean crust) was exposed
from the base of a small seamount
in
fissure'ssharp edge and the thin layer
of sediment covering the outcrops indicate that the seabed is in an area of
dynamic
SHINKAI
tensile stress. Hydrothermal
6500
that ocean crust formation
p ogress,
(Harue
activity was
also observed
at the island arc seaniounts in this area, These
by
facts prove
adjacent to the island arc crust is currently in
Masuda,
Faculty of Scicnce, Osaka
City University)
Voya
ges
of the SHINKAI6500
(6)
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Rainbow
The
Site
photograph
2,300m,
below
temperature
hydrothermal
iron. Numbers
darker
systems
The
than
those
because
of extinct chimneys
but by the heat from
of other
(depth
hydrothermal
Ridge. The
sea-bottom
it contains large amounts
as much
of
as over 10m
actively venting.
fluid of this hydrothermal
comprise
smoker
of the Mid-Atlantic
high are around this chimney
magma
a black
360 °C> in the Rainbow
site (36 °13'Nr 33C541W)
fluid is much
shows
system
is not heated
transformation
by
of rocks that
the mantle exposed on the seabed.
(Ilitoshi Chibn. Institutefor Study of the Earth's Interior,
Okaynnm
Uni versity)
voya
ges
of the SHINKAI6500
Mid-Atlantic
(7)
Ridge
TAG Hydrothermal Mound and Kane FractureZone
There
is a giant TAG
hydrothermal
mound
of 200m
across and 50m
in the axial trough at latitude 26 °N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The
aggregated
exhaust
sulfides rises up high like a cakestand. 350"C
from a nearly 20m
"Rimicaris"
and
high giant black smoker
"Chorocaris"
cluster around it,
high, as big as the Tokyo
black smoke
"Laputa"
on
Dome,
two-level, circular conic mound
vents like steam
top of the mound.
(Kantaro
of
locomotive
Eyeless
shrimps
Fujioka, JAMSTEC)
Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
The
East Pacific Rise
Long-Term Sea-Bottom
Observation
When
the SHINKA1
6500
relatively low-temperature
over a wide
area. Although,
there three years
organisms
first visited this site in 1994,
hydro thermal fluid was being vented
were
when
later, hydrothermal
that hydrothermal
(see photograph
on right). In
variation of hydrothermal
Ocean
measurement
device
is a valuable instance
activities last several years
order
to clarify the temporal
activities, observations
Bottom
Observatory
were
returned
activities and living
all virtually extinct. This
for demonstrating
Long-term
the submersible
conducted
using
the
and hydrothermal
flow
under
Flux
the Ridge
Project.
At the East Pacific Rise, 4,000km
off the coast of Chile,
volcanic eruptions occur every several years to a decade. A
(low
lava
took place at this location in the early 1990s, and there is a
pool of magma
less than 1 km
beneath the seabed. The
components
emitted by this magma
temperature
hydrothermal
This
and come
torrent is inhabited
crustaceans. The
here to conduct
observation.
The
by
gushing out.
numberless
fish and
Ridge Flux Project placed a number
the world's
bottom
gaseous
are dissolved into the low-
first year-long
photograph
devices, an instrument for measuring
sea-bottom
shows
one
hydrothermal
(Tetsuro Urabe, Geological
small
of devices
of those
flow
Survey of Japan)
(8)
Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
The
A
East Pacific Rise
Group
of
Lined
On
(9)
up
in
Hydrothermal
a
Chimneys
Row
a peak of the East Pacific Rise at latitude 18 °S,there is a trough-1 ike riftthai
is 200-800
m in width. Inside this are several terraces formed
normal
faults. The
formed
when
by slippage from
riftalso contains lava lakes filled with magma
ceilings collapsed. The
follows the direction of the submarine
like a tree-lined highway
Various
ehimncys
and pillars
are mostly located in a line thai
ridge, creating a scene that looks exactly
names,
such as pagoda
and birch, have
been
given to thisarea.
(Kunturo
Fujioka. JAMSTEC)
Voyages
of the SHINKA
16500
(10)
The North FijiBasin
A
Variety
The
of
SHINKAI
Program
Lava
6500's first dive outside Japanese waters was for the joint French-Japanese
in the North Fiji Basin. Here
lava lake came
into contact with the sea water and solidified, forming
This ceiling collapsed after the magma
some
2m
Close
high stillremain
examination
shows
In 1989, the French
SHINKAI
6500
inside flowed
scattered ceiling fragments
submersible
STARMER
surface of the
a ceiling a few centimeters thick.
out, but sections of itsupported
and they look like propellers on shafts, as shown
by lava columns
in the bottom
of
photograph.
around the feet of the lava columns.
Nautile discovered
looked for it two years later, but found
colonies existed on the extremely
burying
evidence remains of the existence of a lava lake. The
a giant colony of bathymodiolus
no trace. As
(a mussel). The
seen in the photograph,
only small
fresh lava. It appears that a lava flow occurred during those two years
the colony, but this knowledge
was not available at that time.
(Tetsuro
Urate, Geological
Survey
of Japan)
PFPBnes of the SHINKAI6500
The
A
Palau
Cretaceous
(11)
r Voyages of the SHINKA16500
The Yap Trench
Trench
Wall
Serpentinite
At a depth of 6,500m in the Palau Trench, there is a wall of starkwhite limestone
(bottom
photograph).
The
because
limestone dissolves al depths greater than 4.500m,
existence of this time stone at 6,500m
Why
presents a mystery
is limestone found at such
a location?
Recent
Archipelago
The
collapsed and was carried down
was due to a large-scale earthquake
the northern coast of New
Guinea
in shallow waters in the Palau
into the ocean depths. Possibly
the collapse
followed by a large tsunami similar to the one that hit
in 1998.
(Hiroshi Kitazato,Department of Biology and Geosciences. Faculty of Science,Shizuoka University)
on
submersible
the
in Marianas,
covered
Slope
at a depth of 6,392m,
were serpentine, very much
with manganese.
deep and they were
could have
Landward
landed on the mud
steep, outcrops appeared. They
6,270m
research indicates the possibility that the limestone
(12)
Similar
Just as the slope grew
like the serpentinite flow
outcrops were
either of serpentinite or olivine. A
been carried there in a debris flow, but most
Face
were
seen at 6,278 and
part of the serpentine
outcrops that already
existed there.
(Azusa
Nishizawa,
Hydrographic
Department.
Maritime
Safety Board)
Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
(13)
' Voyages of the SHINKAI6500
The
Indian Ocean
Mankind's
PACMANUS
(14)
First
Dive
to
the
Bottom
of
the
Indian
and
Ocean
DESMOS
The
The
deep-sea
Papua
New
bottom
of the Manus
Guinea
hydrothermal
is
known
phenomena
vent communities.
Basin
for
in
its
and hydrothermal
The
bottom
photograph
(of
site, while the one on the
right (of a white smoker)
at the DESMOS
20km
site. The
apart, yet they
was taken at 1,900m
two sites are barely
differ this greatly
in
appearance.
The
chemical
hydrothermal
substance
compositions
the
fluids differ with the physical
of the magma,
and the communities
of living creatures thai grow
the chemicat
of
composition
there differ with
of the hydrothermal
fluid.
(Jun Hashimoto,
JAMSTEC)
Indian
6500
Ridge
spreading
a black smoker) was taken at a depth of 1,700m
at the PACMANUS
first time that mankind
SHINKAI
was
during
reached
the bottom
of the Indian Ocean
used for research on the sea-bottom
MODE'98.
is taking place. The
Apart
from
the Arctic Ocean,
supply of magma
activity is intense and hydrothermal
spreading
was
fall 1998,
axis known
this is where
when
the world's slowest
is small and concentrated in one area where
activity has also been reported, making
the
as the Southwest
fault
this a ridge that deserves
attention.
Samples
were
collected from
top of the seamount
chimneys
where the magma
marking
the location of past hydrothermal
activity near the
activity is concentrated.
(Hiromi
Fujimoto, Ocean
Research Institute,University of Tokyo)
MODE94
ififteeardivesaf the KaneTfactiife Zbne-duriag the;
_T^e'SfflNKAL65(jb-.cairieid'.out
I Jljnst
Mid-AflariCc."Ridg £ diving! cruise-(tagl J,June 25rJjily "Z^-JSSC ･'Afterward,.
_
Mid-Oceanic Ridge Diving Expedition,1994
-the Team
.called-.at
ibeTWoods
and exchange,
TAG
from
From
September
hydro
among
therm almound
July 29 to August
Hole. Oceaoograpliic- InstHut ion foran.open
researcher's.Subseqaeritiy,
during (fiesecond
:fifteendives were
Mid-Atlantic
Ridge
vessel to put in at Valparaiso Harbor
in Chile, From
Pacific Rise diving cruise (Lcg4) was carried out in the same
arid completing
house
at the"
diving cruise (Leg2)
27.
14 to October 19, after passing through the Panama
Canal* the SHINKAI
6500
dives for the firstEast Pacific Rise diving cruise (Leg3) in the vicinity of latitude 1S°S.This
a JAMSTEC
conducted
October
area, making
25 to November
carried out fifteen
was the firsttime for
29, the second East
a total of thirty dives in this sea area
all sixty dives planned for 1994.
･
･
Participants of the 2nd
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Woods
Hole Oceanographic
Institution
as seen on board R/V YOKOSUKA
while bringingthe vessel in.
diving cruise (Leg2)r
･
･
R/V YOKOSUKA
at the WHOI pier,
Researchers of the 1st Mid-Atlantic
Ridge diving cruise (Leg1).
･
Side-slidingSHINKAI
YOKOSUKA,
6500
in the hanger of R/V
which is no long seen today･
A ResBarchers of the 1st East PacificRise diving cruise (Leg3)
34
Researchers
of the 2nd
East
Pacific Rise diving cruise (Leg4).
35
M0Dj:'98"
Mid-Ocean^^j^^ivtnBCxpBdltiDn,
1998
15
The 20 fiaeture
June 17- JuIy 17 1998 . The Team then put in
Lisbon Harbor in Portugal, to hold at
an open house at tXP09of
-JAMMht-s
first-in
Europe, on July 19-20. A totalof 9,000 visitorstoured the YOKOSUKA
and SHINKAI
6500 at the EXPO
pier.
The second Mid-Atlantic Ridge diving cruise (Leg2) took place from July 23 to August
23, when fifteendives were conducted at TAG,
completed
Dante's Dome, and Rainbow. Having
its research dives in the Atlantic, the Yokosuka
passed through (he
Mediterranean Ocean and the Suez Canal, heading for the Indian Occan. On
the way, it
EXPO" 98 Japan Pavilion
put in at Port Louis in Mauritius.
From September 20 to November
18, the SHINKAI
6500 earned out the world's first
research dives in the Indian Ocean as a manned submersible. A
totalof 25 research
･
dives were made at the Southwest Indian Ridge and the CentralIndian Ridge throughout
Participants oi the 1st Mid-Atlantic Ridge
diving cruise (Leg 1).
Leg3 and 4 in the Indian Ocean.
･
SHINKAI 6500 model displayedat EXPO'SS
Japan Pavilion
･ SHINKAi 6500 emblem paintedon
the EXPO'98 pier by Mr. Tsuyoshi
YOSHIUME
of SHINKAI 6500 Team.
･Ms.
Ayako SONO,
Chair person of the Nip-
pon Foundation, louringSHINKAI
6500.
.SHINKAI 6500 Dive Locations and Sea Areas
Editors
The
Postscript
itfar,-and we are certain that itwill
■, keep making
has set,numerous*" *records. -*so
SHINKAI'6500
records in the future?"Taking
put'tpgether
We
We
this pamphlet
the vessel's five hundredth
dive as an appropriate juncture, we have
in hopes that it will increase public interest iridic deep-sea bottom.
also hope that itwill be of some
have used photographs
use to researchers' studies in the future.
of the construction, and maintenance
of the SHINKA1
not seen very often, as well as the sea-bottoms explored by SHINKA16500
Experts
who
are most
familiar with
contributed comments
on them. There
those in this pamphlet.
We
We
acknowledge
concerned
the dive areas have
6500 that are
around the globe.
kindly selected photographs
are, or course, numerous
superb photographs
hope to introduce them at other opportunities in the future.
with deep
gratitude the cooperation
given by the researchers and ail others
in the course of publishing this pamphlet.
Production
Team
Katsufumi
Minoru
Akazawa
Yamada
(Ship Operations Division, Research Support Department)
(Public Relations, Training and Education Division, Administration Department)
Kantaro Fujioka (Frontier Research Program for Deep-sea Extremophiles)
Photographs
Cover
and
Cooperation
Photograph; Shozo
Tashiro
Illustrations:Kazutaka Tsugaoka
Mitsubishi Heavy
Kawasaki
Heavy
Industries,Ltd. Kobe
Industries,Ltd. Kobe
Shipyard;
Shipyard;
Researchers on each expedition;
The
SHrNKAI
6500 Operations Team;
Public Rerations, Training and Education Division
The
Submersible
Research
SHIIMKAI
Japan
Branch
Center
2-15, Natsushima-Cho, Vokosuka, Kanagawa
Phone
Mutsu
Vessel
6500
Marine Science and Technology
Headquarters
237-0061
+81-468-66-3811
690, Aza-Kitasekine, Oaza-Sekme, Mutsu, Aomori 035-0022
Phone+81-175-25-3811
Tokyo
Branch SEAVANS
Phone+81-3
40
and
besides
North 7F, 1-2-1 Sbibaura, Minato, Tokyo 105-6791
5765-7101