“I was lucky enough to first see the new Triton T3K3 in build in Florida. Straight away with her clothes off you could see the build quality and attention to detail was second to none. Six months later and here I am employed as sub team/expedition leader for a joint NHK/ Discovery project for 10 weeks on the East coast of Japan attempting to film the elusive giant squid.
The expedition ship is loaded with 3 manned subs, 2 rated to 1,000 meters and one to 600 meters. Each sub is fitted with various cameras and scientific equipment designed to lure and film the creatures. When we arrived, the Triton had less than 40 dives under her belt. Having personally brought 6 new build manned submarines through their acceptance trials, I know the challenges and frustrations involved. I was genuinely concerned about down time due to teething problems. How wrong could I have been! We are diving 2 of the subs daily for an average of 8 hours to 700-1,000 meters. My biggest issue isn’t breakdowns, but the squabbles from the sub team wanting to pilot the T3K3 as opposed to the other 2 subs. As I write the daily plan and team positions, it’s very hard for me to put anyone else in the T3K3 when I’m piloting. Due to the comments being made I think they’ve noticed!
The minor issues we have encountered have been very quickly resolved. This is due to the ease of access to all of the systems. The design and layout is amazing making maintenance a breeze. The sub is designed as a 3-man system. The first thing you notice is the size, it’s huge inside, has amazing air conditioning and an mp3 system, that’s why the team are bickering! Right I can hear you now, “sounds great what a cool toy!”. Yes and no. This trip it has performed flat out lugging science payload up and down to 1,000 meters, a proper, reliable workhorse. The sleek exterior is proving to be robust in these harsh conditions.
My day-to-day working life comprises of piloting rescue, science and filming manned subs and teaching pilots from around the globe. I’m always getting asked “when are you going to buy a sub to conduct some of the training?” My reply having operated many subs is “never it’s a mugs game, I’d rather play with other peoples toys, it’s much easier on the wallet!” I never thought I’d say this but the Triton 3300/3 is the first sub I’d genuinely consider buying! No I’m not related to Triton in any way other than being in the same industry, in fact our offices are in opposite hemispheres and couldn’t be further apart. Having flown and operated with the Triton 3300/3 in the field, I felt I had to jot down a few words.”
Mark Taylor
Manned Sub International Pty Ltd
www.mannedsubinternational.com
