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The bathyscaph Trieste, the FNRS-2, was named for the town in appreciation for the support which its people rendered during the novel submersible's development.

(Bathyscaph: t. 50; 1. 59'6"; b. 11'6"; dr. 18' (f.); cpl. 2)

Trieste was a deep-diving research bathyscaphe ("deep boat") with a crew of two people, was the development of a concept first studied in 1937 by the Swiss physicist and balloonist, Auguste Piccard.World War II abruptly terminated Piccard's work in Belgium on his deep-sea research submarine—a bathyscaph—and he did not resume it until 1945.

The word bathyscaph was coined by him from the Greek words BATHOS "deep", and SCAPHOS "ship", thus "Bathyscaph".

Piccard later worked with the French government on the development of such a craft.

In 1952 Professor Piccard was invited to come to Trieste, and began construction of the next bathyscaph with the financial and technical support of many institutions, companies and individuals in Trieste. During that time Trieste was in the " Free Territory of Trieste ", administered by British and American.

The Trieste basically consisted of a chamber filled with gasoline for buoyancy and a separate pressure sphere. This sphere (dubbed a "bathysphere" by Piccard) provided just enough room for two persons and was originally manufactured by italian Terni which was designed to operate to a depth of 20,000 feet. Scientific and navigational instruments to equip the craft came from Switzerland, Germany, and Italy.

There, on the southern shore of the Gulf of Naples, at the Navalmeccanica, a civilian shipyard near Naples, Trieste took shape. In August 1953, the bathyscaph was placed in the water for the first time. On 11 August 1953, Professor Piccard and his son Jacques made the trial dive—to a depth of five fathoms.

Between 1953 and 1956, Trieste conducted many dives.

From 1953 through October 1957 the "BATISCAFO TRIESTE", as it was known in Italy, conducted 48 dives in the Mediterranean , to depths exceeding 12,000 feet and did not go unnoticed by the Italian Press, the general public or those wishing to commemorate her existance and accomplishments. Neither did those accomplishments go unnoticed by the United States Navy.

In 1955, Dr. Robert Dietz, of the United States Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR), met Professor Piccard in London and discussed the project. During their talks, Piccard invited Dietz to Italy to see the bathyscaph. During his visit the following year, Dietz invited Piccard to the United States to discuss the bathyscaph's future as an American submersible.

A group of American oceanographers and underwater sound specialists visited Castellamare, Italy, the following summer, 1957, and tested and examined Trieste. They eventually recommended that the craft be acquired by the United States government. They thought that the submersible was the ideal craft to participate in Project "Nekton"—an inspection of the deepest point in the world's oceans, the Challenger Deep, off the Marianas.

It was purchased by the U.S. Navy for $250,000.00.

Thus, in the fall of 1958, Trieste was transported to U.S. Navy Electronics Laboratory (NEL) San Diego, California, her new home port, where she arrived in December 1958. Its primary mission of TRIESTE was to assist and support the oceanographic research efforts of the United States Navy. Starting in December of that year, Trieste made several dives off San Diego.

It was extensively modified: fitted with a new stronger sphere, manufactured by the the Krupp Steel Works "Krupp Werke (works)"of Essen, Germany and designed for operation to 36,000 feet. To withstand the staggering pressure of 9 tons per square inch (124 MPa) at the bottom of Challenger Deep, the sphere's walls were 5 inches (127 mm) thick. It weighed 13 long tons in air, 8 in water.

Many test programs and scientific projects involving ten dives, were conducted by TRIESTE during the next few years. Most significant of these was "PROJECT NEKTON" in which

Trieste departed San Diego on October 5, 1959 on the way to Guam by the freighter Santa Maria to participate in Project Nekton — a series of very deep dives in the Mariana Trench. With Wandank (ATR-109) as support vessel. TRIESTE conducted a series of seven dives including three deep dives, climaxing on January 23, 1960 in a 35,800 foot descent into the "Challenger Deep". This abyss, the deepest known spot in the earth's oceans, had never been penetrated by a manned vehicle. The record set that day stands alone today.

Crew was Jacques Piccard—the professor's son who had accompanied the bathyscaph to the United States to instruct the Navy in its operation and maintenance - and Lieutenant Don Walsh, US Navy —descended seven miles to the bottom of the Challenger Deep, it reached the ocean floor.

The world's record descent had taken nine hours.

This was the first time a vessel, manned or unmanned, had reached the deepest point in the sea. The onboard systems indicated a depth of 37,800 ft (11 521 m), although this was later revised to 35,813 ft (10 916 m), and more accurate measurements made in 1995 have found the Challenger Deep to be slightly shallower, at 35,798 ft (10 911 m). The descent took almost five hours and the two men spent barely twenty minutes on the ocean floor before undertaking the 3 hour 15 minute ascent. They observed small soles and flounders and noted that the floor consisted of "diatomaceous ooze".

That dive gained, not only a record which cannot be exceeded but, world wide recognition of the TRIESTE and its occupants on that dive, Jacques Piccard, son of Auguste Piccard and Navy lieutenant Don Walsh.

Between 1960 and 1962, after Trieste was overhauled at San Diego upon her return from Guam and Project "Nekton," the bathyscaph conducted many dives in the San Diego area. In November 1962, another period of repairs commenced. At this time, a new bathyscaph float was on the drawing board, and construction began early in 1963. Trieste's modifications were proceeding apace when the submarine Thresher (SSN-593) sank in the Atlantic Ocean on April 10,1963 with all hands off the Massachusetts coast.

In April 1963, TRIESTE was transported from California to Boston, Massachusets where she soon entered the search to locate the wreckage of the submarine, USS THRESHER (SSN 593) which had sunk.

She made five dives before returning to the Boston Naval Shipyard for repairs. Trieste later conducted five more dives. In August, during this series, she discovered the debris from Thresher, including the submarine's sail which still clearly carried the number "593."

The first dive was conducted on June, 1963 at a depth of 8400 feet, 220 miles east of Boston. The fourth dive, piloted by Lt. George Martin, a six hour search at 9600 feet, was conducted on June 30, 1963. The fifth dive was piloted by Lt. Cdr. Donald Keach on June 29, 1963 at a depth of 9600 feet. Scattered debris was photographed and several pieces of the ship were recovered.

This series of dives would not have been successful without the able assistance and support of the officers and crews of its Command Ship, USS Fort Snelling LSD-30, Tow Ship, USS Preserver ARS-8 and the scientists of the Research Ship, Robert D. Conrad. Search operations were terminated in the fall of 1963 due to adverse weather conditions. TRIESTE returned to San Diego, California following the initial THRESHER search.

In August 1963, Trieste found the wreck off New England, 8,400 feet (2.56 km) below the surface.

About this time, the bathyscaph— then 10 years old—began to show signs of age.

The bathyscaphe was then retired and some of her components were used in the Trieste II

Hence Trieste—her search mission accomplished— was returned to San Diego, where she was taken out of service. For her part in the search, however, the bathyscaph and her commander, Comdr. Donald A. Reach, received the Navy Unit Commendation.

Subsequently, Trieste was transported to the Washington Navy Yard where she was placed on exhibit in the US Navy Memorial Museum in in early 1980.

In appearance at the time of Project Nekton, Trieste was over 50 feet (15 m) long, but the great extent of this was a series of floats filled with 22,500 US gallons (85 m³) of gasoline to provide buoyancy, and air tanks at either end of the vessel. The crew were in a 6.5 ft (2.16 m) diameter steel sphere attached to the underside of the floats. An additional nine tons of pellet shot were taken on the craft to speed the descent. This additional weight was held in place by electromagnets, so that in case of an electric failure the craft would immediately start to rise to the surface.

The Trieste class bathyscaphes were replaced by the Alvin class submersibles, best exemplified by DSV Alvin itself. Though the newer design could not dive as deep (a maximum of 20,000 feet for DSV Sea Cliff), they were generally more capable and more durable.

Trieste is now a permanent exhibit at the U.S. Navy Museum, Washington Navy Yard in Washington, DC

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