What will the future be like for manned submersibles?
This is a subject of interesting speculation. There has not been much activity in the deep submersible field over the last several years. Technical advances in the use of acrylic have provided a preferred alternative for construction of these vehicles. The Remora and the DR1002 following in the footsteps of the earlier Johnson SeaLinks have proven the superiority of the acrylic hull for depths to 1000 meters. Interestingly enough, they have also proven cost effective. Building a conventional deep submersible with 1000 meter depth rating like Pisces II for example would cost significantly more than the $1.7 million for the DR1002. So, there is an economic advantage, yet in most situations manned submersible utilization fails the basic cost benefit economic test, in large part because of the expense of the surface support ship. It is possible that the advent of usable air independent propulsion systems (e.g. closed cycle diesel, closed cycle Stirling, PEM fuel cells, etc.) coupled with d
