Mir was a class of two self-propelled deep-submergence vehicles. The project was initially developed by the USSR Academy of Sciences along with Lazurit Central Design Bureau, and two vehicles were ordered from Finland. The Mir-1 and Mir-2, delivered in 1987, were designed and built by the Finnish company Rauma-Repola's Oceanics subsidiary. The project was carried out under the supervision of constructors and engineers of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology.
Mir being lowered into the water by the crane on Akademik Mstislav Keldysh
Interior of Mir-2
The Mirs at Lake Geneva in July 2011
Mir-1 at the Museum of the World Ocean, Kalinigrad
A deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) is a deep-diving crewed submersible that is self-propelled. Several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs. DSVs are commonly divided into two types: research DSVs, which are used for exploration and surveying, and DSRVs, which are intended to be used for rescuing the crew of a sunken navy submarine, clandestine (espionage) missions, or both. DSRVs are equipped with docking chambers to allow personnel ingress and egress via a manhole.
Historical deep-submergence vehicles
DSV Limiting Factor of Triton Submarines during sea trials
Ictineu 3 inside a warehouse in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
