With the development of the aqualung divers had the ability to dive to a depth of about 165 feet (50 metres), but could safely go no further. This limitation was overcome with the invention of the bathyscaphe. It was devised to withstand very high pressures, allowing divers to descend several miles below the surface of the sea. The name bathyscaphe derives from the Greek words `bathys' which means deep, and the word `scaphos' meaning ship.
Professor Auguste Piccard invented the bathyscaphe in the late 1940's. He had already become famous in the 1930's for his ballooning experiments. The Swiss then decided to apply his theories to deep sea exploration. The principles of both forms of transport are basically the same. Piccard's ideas and work was supported primarily by the Belgian National Foundation for Scientific Research (FRNS). He named his initial bathyscaphe the FRNS 2 (His notorious balloon had previously taken the name of FRNS 1). With the experiments with the FRNS 2, it was proven without any doubt that his ideas worked.
Today there are a plethora of underwater craft usually given the general name `submersibles.' These range from the mini sub, as its name implies a small version of the full size submarine to the `Perry' a modern day oceanographic bathscaphe.
