Mystic Aquarium

After 14 years sitting at the entrance of its Challenge of the Deep exhibit hall, Sea Research Foundation’s Mystic Aquarium today relocated Turtle (DSV-3), a 21-ton deep-sea research submersible, to a new location 30 feet to the north.

Using a 500-ton capacity hydraulic crane, the move clears the way for a new entrance to the hall, which showcases the work of Sea Research’s Dr. Robert Ballard, renowned oceanographer who famously discovered the sunken Titanic in 1985. The move is part of Sea Research’s transformation of the building into the Ocean Exploration Center, a deep-sea exhibit hall sponsored by United Technologies.

Marking the centenary of Titanic’s maiden voyage and sinking, the Ocean Exploration Center opens to the public on April 12 with Titanic – 12,450 Feet Below, a new exhibit that takes guests on a journey to new depths of discovery. Ballard’s innovation is combined with the vision of former Walt Disney Imagineer Tim Delaney to bring Titanic’s timeless history to life through the eyes of the team that found her.

Owned by the United States Navy, Turtle has been on long-term loan to Sea Research Foundation since 1998 and is the sister to Alvin (DSV-2), the deep-sea submersible that Ballard used during his 1986 return to Titanic. Built by Connecticut’s Electric Boat between 1966 and 1968, Turtle is a 26-foot, manned, non-combatant, untethered submersible that reached depths of 10,000 feet. Designed for deep-sea search and recovery, oceanographic research, and underwater archaeology, Ballard used Turtle on various occasions to explore regions of the Pacific Ocean. The Turtle name mimics the physical characteristics of the turtle. Although slow moving, it is highly maneuverable, has a tough shell and is able to reach great depths.

Click here for a gallery of the move.

Published February 9, 2012