14. The remarkable DSV Alvin once sunk itself and later recovered
When the exploration team entered the sunken Titanic in 1986, they did so in a submersible which had itself once been the victim of sinking. On October 16, 1968, Alvin was being lowered into the water by the US Navy tender USS Lulu, with three crew members aboard the DSV preparing for a dive. Steel cables lowering the submersible snapped, and the vessel sank in 5,000 feet of water, though the three men aboard were able to escape before it went down. The accident occurred about 100 miles to the South of Nantucket, and Alvin remained on the bottom throughout the winter.
In June of the following year, Alvin was located by USS Mizar. At the time nothing of the size of Alvin had been recovered from such a depth. In August the DSV Aluminaut was used in an attempt to recover Alvin, but rough seas in the aftermath of Hurricane Camille forced the recovery team to abandon the attempt. In late August a second attempt was made, and Alvin was raised to a depth of about forty feet, where it remained, tethered to USS Mizar, as it was towed to Woods Hole for repairs and to have installed a new pressure hull, manufactured of titanium, which allowed it reach yet greater depths.
