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Flag of Switzerland from Bathyscaph TriesteAuguste Piccard explored the stratosphere and set an altitude record of 15,781 metres with his gas balloon in 1931. With the submarine “Trieste” designed by him, his son Jacques and Don Walsh reached the record depth of 10,916 m beneath the surface of the sea in 1960. The bathyscaph is essentially a type of underwater balloon: the large float chamber was filled with petrol because it is lighter than water. The pilots were located in the pressure sphere below the float chamber. At the deepest point, the surface of the sphere was subjected to a pressure in excess of 170,000 tonnes.Shortly before the “Trieste’s” legendary dive into the Marianas Trench, the Americans demanded that the research project be restricted to their own nationals and only flew the American flag. However, because of a written agreement and on account of his great experience, Jacques Piccard remained the captain in charge. He placed his Swiss flag well below the pilots’ seats, thereby ensuring that our national emblem had the honour of being even deeper on the sea bed than the two pilots.
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  • Flag of Switzerland from Bathyscaph Trieste
    Auguste Piccard explored the stratosphere and set ...

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  • Flag of Switzerland from Bathyscaph Trieste

    Auguste Piccard explored the stratosphere and set an altitude record of 15,781 metres with his gas balloon in 1931. With the submarine “Trieste” designed by him, his son Jacques and Don Walsh reached the record depth of 10,916 m beneath the surface of the sea in 1960. The bathyscaph is essentially a type of underwater balloon: the large float chamber was filled with petrol because it is lighter than water. The pilots were located in the pressure sphere below the float chamber. At the deepest point, the surface of the sphere was subjected to a pressure in excess of 170,000 tonnes.
    Shortly before the “Trieste’s” legendary dive into the Marianas Trench, the Americans demanded that the research project be restricted to their own nationals and only flew the American flag. However, because of a written agreement and on account of his great experience, Jacques Piccard remained the captain in charge. He placed his Swiss flag well below the pilots’ seats, thereby ensuring that our national emblem had the honour of being even deeper on the sea bed than the two pilots.
  • Inventory No.VHS-2940
  • Original/modelOriginal
  • Object typeObject (three-dimensional)
  • Manufacturer/operatorPiccard Jacques (1922 - 2008), Kapitän oder Steuermann, archivalisch belegt
    Walsh Don (1922 - 2008), Kapitän oder Steuermann, archivalisch belegt
  • GeographyTerritory: Marianengraben, Pazifik
  • Dating23.01.1960
  • Object weightH x B ca. 75 x 75 cm