Hasegawa SW03 54003 Manned Research Submersible Shinkai 6500 Upgraded Thruster Version 2012

The Shinkai 6500 is a modern Japanese manned bathyscaphe designed for scientific research. The unit entered service in 1990. The ship is 9.5 meters long and 2.7 meters wide (diameter). The underwater speed is up to 2.5 knots and the drive is provided by electric batteries. The crew consists of three people. So far, only three bathyscaphes of this type have been built. The Shinkai 6500 was developed and built for the Japanese government agency JAMSTEC, which is engaged in the study of the sea depths, but also in the field of tectonics. Taking into account Japan's geographic location and frequent earthquakes haunting the country, the discoveries made by this agency are very important. The Shinkai 6500 was made, among others, of titanium and is able to reach a submersion depth of 6,500 meters - until 2012 it was the same mass-produced bathyscaphe capable of reaching the greatest immersion depth. In 2012, he lost this title to the Chinese Jiaolong unit.