Nautile is ready to return to the deep!

After four months of maintenance work at IFREMER’s Mediterranean Centre, IFREMER's legendary manned submersible Nautile is ready to dive again! In addition to replacing part of the titanium frame, major modifications were made on the Nautile. In particular, HD video cameras were added, a new navigation and positioning system was installed, the command, control and data acquisition system was replaced and all the corresponding electrical wiring was updated.

After a first successful dive in the test tank at the La Seyne-sur-mer naval base on 5 July, the submersible that visited the wrecks of the Titanic and the Prestige is ready for EssNaut, a test cruise aboard the R/V L’Atalante that is to run from 27 July to 1 August. Six test dives are scheduled off Toulon.

The final test will take place during the transit between La Seyne and Horta (the Azores) with a deep-sea dive in the Atlantic Ocean to 5000 m depth, scheduled for 7 August.

See the following press release: