submersible

A submersible is an underwater vehicle which needs to be transported and supported by a larger watercraft or platform. This distinguishes submersibles from submarines, which are self-supporting and capable of prolonged independent operation at sea. There are many types of submersibles, including both human-occupied vehicles (HOVs) and uncrewed craft, variously known as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) or unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). Submersibles have many uses including oceanography, underwater archaeology, ocean exploration, tourism, equipment maintenance and recovery and underwater videography. History The first recorded self-propelled underwater vessel was a small oar-powered submarine conceived by William Bourne (c. 1535–1582) and designed and built by Dutch inventor Cornelis Drebbel in 1620, with two more improved versions built in the following four years. Contemporary accounts state that the final model was demonstrated to King James I in person, who may even have been taken aboard for a test dive. There do not appear to have been any further recorded submersibles until Bushnell's Turtle.