DSRV-2 Avalon
 Avalon (DSRV-2) aboard support ship. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Name: |
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| Builder: | Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Sunnyvale, California |
| Launched: | 1971 |
| Out of service: | 2000 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | DSRV-1- (Mystic-) class deep submergence rescue vehicle |
| Displacement: | 30.5 tons surfaced, 37 tons submerged |
| Length: | 49 ft (15 m) |
| Beam: | 8 ft (2.4 m); Width 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Installed power: | 15 shaft horsepower (11 kW) |
| Propulsion: | Electric motors, silver-zinc batteries, one shaft, four thrusters |
| Speed: | 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) |
| Endurance: | 30 hours submerged at 3 knots (5.6 km/h) |
| Test depth: | 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) |
| Capacity: | 24 passengers |
| Complement: | Four (two pilots and two rescue personnel) |
DSRV-2 Avalon is a Mystic-class Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle rated to dive up to 5000 feet (1500 m). The submarine was acquired in response to the loss of the USS Thresher so that the Navy would have a way to rescue submarine crews trapped far beneath the ocean surface.
Avalon was launched in 1971. The submarine, intended to be air transportable, is 50 feet (15 m) long, 8 feet (2.4 m) in diameter, and weighs 37 tons. The sub is capable of descending to 5,000 feet (1,500 m) below the surface and could carry 24 passengers at a time in addition to her crew. The sub was stationed at North Island Naval Station in San Diego and was never required to conduct an actual rescue operation. Avalon was decommissioned in 2000. The submarine may be donated to the Naval Undersea Museum. DSRV-2 Avalon is currently sitting in a parking lot in Morro Bay, California. She will be on display in a small museum and should be open for tours as of May 2014.
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to DSRV-2 Avalon (submarine, 1971). |
References
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
- Liewer, Steve, "Goodbye To Mystic Minisub, Hello To Falcon", San Diego Union-Tribune, March 6, 2009.
Coordinates: 35°22.202′N 120°51.309′W / 35.370033°N 120.855150°W