Vickers Tango 1 Submersible

The Vickers Oceanics T1 is a rebuild of the earlier experimental Pisces 1 which was originally built by Hyco International Hydrodynamics in Canada in 1965. Vickers Oceanics Limited carried out the rebuild and retrofit in Barrow-in-Furness in 1975/76, and the T1 became part of the company’s fleet of commercial deep-sea submersibles which operated primarily in the North Sea.

The craft weighs approximately 16 tonnes. Mounted to the side of the craft are two cylindrical battery pods which are detachable so they can be exchanged for fully charged ones from its support ship. The T1 was manoeuvred by three propulsion motors, one centrally placed at the back and two on either side of the craft. The crew would use three front facing portholes to see where they were going, alongside a front-mounted camera.

The body of the T1 is painted white and orange/brown, with the words ‘Vickers Oceanics T1’ painted on the sides of the submersible’s manhole/conning tower. The words ‘Vickers Oceanics Leith’ are painted on the stern of the T1.

Vickers Oceanics, a British company, had the largest fleet of commercial submersibles in the mid-70s, when this Vickers Tango 1 submersible was made.

Demand for commercial submersibles rose during the 60s and 70s as the search for oil and gas under the sea increased, especially in the North Sea and Mediterranean. Down on the seabed, the sub was mostly used for laying deep sea pipe and cables but could also inspect and survey underwater structures.

Submersibles have a huge advantage over human divers. While the vast machinery is necessary for intense underwater work like digging trenches, they can also go a lot deeper and for much longer periods of time. Human divers cannot work deeper than around 300 metres, whereas this Vickers sub can go beyond 900 metres down.

In 1978, Vickers Oceanics Limited ended its offshore business and retired most of its fleet of manned deep-sea submersibles, including the Tango 1 which only had a few years of operation.