532 
In 1937, the first serious attempt to develop a true submersible 
was made in the Soviet Union. The two-man, 10.5-ton ‘“Shimanskiy”’ 
submersible was to operate at depths down to 2,500 meters. However, 
the submersible was never constructed.2 Meanwhile, the American 
(Beebe/Barton) ‘‘bathyscaphe” had been taken to a record 1,000 me- 
ters (3,028 ft.) in 1934.10 
The World War II years brought Soviet submersible research to 
an abrupt halt. Only after the war, in the 1950’s did Soviet attention 
once again focus on underwater research vessels. In 1957, the Ministry 
of Fisheries granted approval for the transfer of a naval submarine 
to the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and 
Oceanography. The submarine, named ‘“‘Severyanka,’”’ was converted 
and recommissioned as a fisheries research vessel. After becoming 
operational in 1958, the Severyanka, manned by 6 scientists and a 
crew estimated to be about 50, made 10 cruises and remained active 
until about 1967. Since Severyanka, there have been a number of 
vague reports of other Soviet submarines reconfigured for oceano- 
graphic research or diving purposes. These reports have been difficult 
to verify." 
The year 1957 also marked the completion of the design of the 
GG-57 or ‘‘Sever-I”’ tethered observation chamber. This small (2,368 
kg) chamber was designed for depths down to 600 meters with one 
observer. The chamber was designed for fisheries research, as most 
Soviet submersibles to date allegedly have. It is believed that several 
variants of Sever-I have since been constructed and are still in opera- 
tion.!” 
In response to the Atlantic Ocean Scientific Research Institute of 
Fisheries and Oceanography, a unique, hydrodynamic vehicle known 
as Atlant-I was constructed in 1963. The towed, bat-winged vehicle 
was designed to accommodate one pilot-observer in a prone position 
who could guide it down to depths of more than 100 meters. Between 
1965 and 1966, Atlant-I made more than 100 descents in support 
of fisheries research. Although the vehicle is still in use, it has been 
complemented by Atlant-II, an improved variant.'* 
Soviet submersible development in the 1950’s and 1960’s was 
modest by Western standards. For by 1948, the Swiss (Piccard) and 
American (Barton) submersibles had been taken to depths exceeding 
1,500 meters, while the greatest depth attained by a Soviet submersible 
in the 1950’s was about half that value. Even by 1950, the Japanese 
‘‘Kuroshio”” submersible was operating at 200 meters. In 1953 and 
1954, Swiss Piccard submersibles had been taken down to depths 
exceeding 3,000 meters; and in 1960, the Swiss submersible “Trieste,” 
redesigned by the United States, was taken to a record 10,848 meters 
(35,800 ft.), a depth unequaled since by any submersible in the world. 
From that point on, the United States, France, and other Western 
countries were to support a virtual explosion of submersible develop- 
ents E. H. Diving for Science: The Story of the Deep Submersible. New York, W. W. Nor- 
ton & Co., Inc. 1972, pp. 19-31. 
'! Boylan, L. Underwater Research Activities in the U.S.S.R. op. cit. 
2 Ibid. 
'3 Ibid. 
