'Titanic submarines' are 20 years old now

16 December, 2007, 06:19

It's been 20 years since the world's probably most famous manned submersibles MIR-1 and MIR-2 made their first deep-sea dives. For decades to come the vehicles were destined to become part of some sensational expeditions.

The vehicles became known all over the globe when the director of the world famous feature-film ‘Titanic’, James Cameron, showed pictures taken at a depth of more than 3800 meters in the North Atlantic, precisely where the legendary ocean liner is resting. 

And in August 2007, Russian explorers reached the bottom of the Arctic Ocean in an attempt to prove the North Pole area is part of Russia.

The MIR pair took them to the depth of almost 4300 meters, where its mechanical hands even managed to station a rust-proof Russian flag.

The two MIR submersibles are the true pride of Russian Academy of Sciencies. They were originally developed during Soviet times and built by a Finnish company. The vehicles have a capability to reach a maximum depth of 6000 meters.

Now both MIRs are resting on their supporting vessel, the Akademik Mstislav Keldish, ready to explore new depths.