cross-posted from: https://derp.foo/post/428955

Ocean explorer Captain Don Walsh has died at the age of 92. More than 60 years ago he made the first ever descent to the deepest place in the ocean, the Mariana Trench which lies almost 11km (seven miles) down. I was lucky enough to count him as a good friend. This is the story of an extraordinary dive by a remarkable man.

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    7 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    More than 60 years ago he made the first ever descent to the deepest place in the ocean, the Mariana Trench which lies almost 11km (seven miles) down.

    The US Navy had acquired a submersible called the bathyscaphe Trieste and Don, a submarine lieutenant, volunteered to join the project.

    The plan was to head to the deepest place on the planet, the very bottom of the Mariana Trench, a narrow, underwater canyon, which lies in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Guam.

    After the navy, he became a professor of ocean engineering, he also set up a marine consultancy business and was a strong advocate for safety within the industry.

    While the ocean trenches were once thought of as desolate places, of little interest apart from their depth, it turns out that they’re a vital part of the Earth’s systems, from the weird and wonderful creatures that live there, to the important role they play in the carbon cycle and climate change.

    The DNA from their dive runs right through this new era of research - it took a plunge into the unknown to start shedding light on what lies beyond the abyss.


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