description Don Walsh Overview
Don Walsh was an American naval officer, oceanographer, and specialist in deep-sea exploration. On 23 January 1960, he and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard descended in the bathyscaphe Trieste to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, reaching the deepest known region of the world's oceans. Their crewed descent demonstrated that a vessel could reach the trench floor and remain operational under extreme hydrostatic pressure.
help Don Walsh FAQ
What happened during Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard's Trieste dive?
On 23 January 1960, Walsh and Piccard descended in the bathyscaphe Trieste to Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. The round trip took roughly nine hours, with only a short period spent on the seafloor.
How deep did Don Walsh actually descend?
Contemporary calculations placed the Trieste at roughly 10.9 kilometers below sea level, although later surveys refined estimates for the trench and dive location. The achievement was the first crewed descent to the deepest known region of the ocean.
Did the Trieste crack during the descent?
A Plexiglas outer window panel cracked with a loud sound while the craft was descending. Walsh and Piccard determined that the pressure sphere remained intact and continued to the bottom.
How did Walsh's dive compare with James Cameron's?
Walsh and Piccard made the first crewed Challenger Deep descent together in Trieste in 1960. James Cameron returned there alone in Deepsea Challenger in 2012, becoming the first person to make a solo descent.
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