A manned submersible, as the name implies, depends on manual operations and carries scientists or explorers on deep-sea dives. Even if the submersibles have been manufactured, without oceanauts, they cannot be put into use nor complete basic tasks such as sea trials. Oceanauts have been regarded as one of the four major systems in the development of submersibles since the beginning of the 7,000-metre manned submersible project. However, at that time, only a few people in China's science and technology sector had seen manned submersibles, let alone met the oceanauts that operated them.
While the general technology team were devoted to the R&D and manufacturing of the submersible, they also put the selection and training of oceanauts on the agenda. On 12th January 2004, the COMRA issued the NO.1 document, which declared the establishment of an expert group for the selection of oceanauts to crew the manned submersible, with Liu Feng as the Chief, Shi Zhenyao as the Deputy Chief and Yin Kailan, Wei Jinhe, Teng Zhenguang, Li Shiming, Chen Ying, Leng Jianxing and Peng Lisheng as team members.
First of all, oceanauts who are competent in carrying out sea trials should not only be able to complete all the procedures in the R&D of the submersible, but they must also have great potential, like a fine seed with the ability to grow into a blooming flower. Taking the opportunity to attend the International Geological Congress in the United States, Liu Feng made a special trip to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution based in Massachusetts in order to discuss his plan to train Chinese personnel on their "Alvin" submersible.
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a comprehensive US ocean research institute based on the Atlantic coast. It has five research departments specializing in the areas of biology, marine chemistry, geology and geophysics, physical oceanography and ocean physics and engineering. As an internationally-recognized and authoritative deep sea research institute, its manned submersible, "Alvin", has become famous for discovering seafloor hydrothermal fluids and cold spring biogroups, as well as serving as a platform for deep sea exploration conducted by scientists all over the world.
Liu Feng held business talks with Mr. Mourice, the Chief Scientist, and Mr. Detrick, the Deputy Director, and reached an agreement on the "China-US Joint Deep Diving" project. According to this agreement, eight marine scientists, engineers and technicians would take the "Alvin" to conduct four dives, carry out seafloor scientific exploration missions and experience and learn how to operate the submersible. The Chinese side would cover the expenses incurred by the diving project and the two-day voyage of the mother ship.
The scientific exploration of mankind requires fair and feasible international coordination.
Returning to China happily, Liu Feng reported to the leadership of the State Oceanic Administration and the COMRA and immediately notified the relevant departments to stand ready. In particular, the 702 Institute responsible for manufacturing the body of the 7,000-metre submersible was asked to select and send the first generation of oceanauts to the United States for training courses. In this way, a skilled young man named Ye Cong was brought to the frontline of the research and development of China's manned submersible.
Ye Cong
On the morning of 8th July 2014, I interviewed Ye Cong, the on-site Deputy Commander and Director of the submersible department aboard the Xiangyanghong 09, the mothership of the Jiaolong submersible, which was on a scientific exploration voyage. We lived in adjacent cabins, but he was busy preparing for sea trials and rarely stayed in the room. It took us a long time to finally agree on a time to meet. Speaking of this experience, Ye Cong cheerfully recalled:
"This project was very difficult. There were two areas of study: the first was scientific exploration and the second was engineering training. I underwent engineering training. I did this first through domestic training courses teaching theoretical studies, mechanical operations, etc. Later, I made my first trip to the United States. It was scheduled that I would land in Los Angeles first before transferring to Seattle. The flight was unexpectedly delayed for two hours at Beijing airport. If we missed the transfer flight, we might also miss the ship. We finally arrived in Los Angeles just as the transfer flight was about to take off, but we realized that we needed to check in at the boarding gate, which was at the other side of the airport. Well, we couldn't spare a thought for our image; we ran full pelt with our bags like we were in a 100 metre race, leaving foreigners confused and staring after us, wondering what was wrong with these Chinese people. Anyhow, we didn't miss the flight and arrived in Seattle on time. We stayed for one night, but we were completely obsessed with the submersible and had no interest in sightseeing. We arrived at the dock the very next day and boarded 'Atlantis', 'Alvin's' mothership. The Captain then allocated us rooms, gave us precautionary instructions and organized escape drills and fire inspections, etc. In the blink of an eye, the ship sailed away..."
Ye was young but experienced, an earnest person at work and a joker in life. He joked: "There were over 40 people on this ship, 20 of whom were crew members, and the rest were a 'UN Army' made up of Japanese, Indians and Koreans. Since we were the first Chinese team to come aboard, the Captain allocated us a lab to show that they were paying us special attention. At the age of 26 and weighing 90 kg, I wondered whether I was too fat for diving. But there was an American aboard, a 1.9-metre-tall, fat guy, who comforted me by patting my shoulder and telling me that I was small. Look at me. I've dived hundreds of times and without any accidents. The cabin was 2.1 metres high! His words gave me confidence. There are playrooms and lounges on the ship. The Captain loved to play table tennis. Knowing that Chinese people are good at ping pong, he asked us to play with him. The chief of our team privately instructed me to play with the Captain, but not to inflict a crushing defeat upon him!"
"On the fourth day, when the ship arrived in the scheduled waters, I took part in the dive. I started with an engineer dive, checking the condition of the submersible, adapting to the surroundings, etc. The chief oceanaut on that day was T from 'Alvin'. Considering that we were going to stay in the water for seven or eight hours, I had some bread and fruit for breakfast and drank as little water as possible. At eight o'clock, the relevant people were on deck and T was already waiting in the cabin. The moment I stepped into the cabin and closed the overhead door, my first undersea journey began. In an unpowered mode, 'Alvin' dived at a low speed of about 30 metres per minute. T took the time to show me the equipment and how to use the cabin. I watched, learned and helped him with ground connection and communication tests. Over one hour later, we had dived to a depth of 2,200 metres and the sonar showed that we were only about 100 metres from the seabed. T skilfully abandoned the first piece of load to slow down the sinking speed, and turned on the lights and cameras."
"Gradually, I began to see white objects floating everywhere in the sea. At first, I thought it was dust from the seabed, but I later found out that they were sea creatures, suggesting that we were not far from the hydrothermal vent. We confidently entered the hydrothermal area after passing through a crack. A richly diverse biological world came into sight. Through the observation window, we could see fish, shrimp, sea stars and crabs with legs measuring 20 cm in length. All of the creatures were interdependent and lived on their inferiors. Knowing that my major task was to learn how to operate and maintain submersibles, T was very passionate in explaining to me what oceanauts need to do, and gave me opportunities to attempt to operate it. He exchanged seats with me and guided me through how to operate the submersible, floating at 100 metres and cruising along a 90-degree course. This experience was extremely exciting. When I thought about operating a submersible on my own in the future, I handled the joystick with dauntless courage and operated the submersible for a while with the utmost attention. Without me even noticing it, we had been underwater for nearly five hours and completed all of our scheduled tasks. According to the plan, we had to abandon the load so that the submersible could float. It was a prolonged process that continued throughout the dive. I did not feel even a bit nervous during the dive, and I was so exhausted after sorting out the documents that I dozed to the background music being played by the chief oceanaut. T reported to the mothership: 'The young Chinese man fell asleep!' Traditionally, the crew would play pranks on oceanauts after they returned from their first dive, such as putting ice in their shoes. Zhang Jiafan and some of my other colleagues prepared a large pot of sea water and poured it all over me. Good lord! The water drove all the warmth from my body, but I still felt delighted."
"Before I returned, I dived again. So did the other team members. This experience prepared us for operating submersibles in the future. When we were not diving, we read a huge amount of literature on the ship and exchanged ideas. 'Alvin' was very open to us, since we had all studied science. The Captain had previously been worried that it might be difficult to communicate with us when we first arrived aboard. But it turned out that all the young people got on very well together. When we got off the boat, we visited the administrative team responsible for organizing the 'Alvin', who invited us to a reception. On the lawn of the University of Washington, we all drank too much, lay on the ground and chatted. A foreigner named Bruce asked me what I thought the most important quality of an oceanaut was. I thought for a moment and, before I had a chance to reply, he burst out: 'It's a good appetite!' I laughed and said, 'Eating is always on your mind!' He grinned happily in response."
"When the successful 3,000-metre sea trial of the Jiaolong submersible was reported on TV, Bruce saw me exiting the cabin and recognized me. He said that the young man was trained here. The Director of the ship's laboratory was a powerfully built Texan in charge of winch, who weighed around 100 kg. I spoke with him often when he was on duty, and we got on well together. When I left, he gave me a grey cowboy hat with his motto written on it: Never mess with a Texan. I still have it now."
This China-US joint deep diving project completed eight dives within only 21 days, but it had a very significant impact and represented a critical chapter in the China's history of deep- sea diving. It was the first time that the Chinese had been able to experience and learn about deep sea submersibles comprehensively, systematically and in close proximity. This step forward demonstrated the foresight of the organizers and had a direct and significant impact on China's future development and the country's sea trials of its 7,000-metre manned submersible.
Since his return, Ye Cong in particular had been actively involved in the research and development of the 7,000-metre manned submersible. He achieved great things in terms of design and construction and became China's first oceanaut and trainer in manned submersibles, thus making a great contribution to training China's first generation of oceanauts, who jokingly called him "big brother".
Six years later in July 2011, when the Jiaolong submersible conducted a 5,000-metre sea trial, the chief of the expert group, who had been involved in the project and had played a critical role, brought a group photo with him of the Chinese team taken during the China-US joint diving project.
Fu Wentao
Ripples were visible on the beautifully clear West Lake in Hangzhou. In early autumn, the perfect season for tourism, the Lake welcomes enthusiastic tourists. On one autumn evening, a young man came to the Lake alone, frowning and worrying, in sharp contrast with the tourists.
His name was Fu Wentao. He graduated a year ago from Lanzhou University of Technology, majoring in communication engineering, and was employed by an enterprise based in Shenzhen, where his outstanding performance elevated him to the position of Department Chief. However, a young man as ambitious as himself would never be satisfied with such a routine and predictable life. His then girlfriend, with whom he had been since university, was studying for a Master's degree in Hangzhou at that time, and so Fu quit his job and stayed in Hangzhou, taking a part-time job while he prepared for his postgraduate exams. However, the competition was so fierce that success was not guaranteed. In other words, what kind of life could he expect even he did succeed in getting his Master's degree?
This day was in September 2006. After a brief visit to West Lake, he returned to his house and began to surf the Internet. Suddenly, he clicked on an announcement for the selection of oceanauts for a manned submersible, which had been issued by the COMRA and the North China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration. The conditions were as follows:
(1) Must be a national of the People's Republic of China, love the motherland, support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, have a passion for marine engineering and volunteer to become an oceanaut of China's manned submersibles. (2) Must be male, aged between 22 and 35 years old, measuring between 165cm and 176cm in height and have an uncorrected visual acuity of 0.8 or a corrected visual acuity of 1.0 or above. (3) Must be qualified with a Bachelor's degree or above from a full-time higher education institution and majoring in electronic science and technology, information and communication engineering, shipbuilding and marine engineering or other related majors. (4) Must be of sound health.
Being a deep-sea submersible oceanaut seemed such a fresh and challenging profession that it really excited Fu Wentao. Born in Yiyang City, Hunan Province, he wasn't a child who had grown up by the sea, but the science fiction novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which he had read as a young boy, had aroused his excitement and curiosity, and he would dream of the fascinating experience of tiding the wind and waves, and especially of exploring the mysteries of the sea. If he was successful in his application, he would become an oceanaut and embark on a brand new journey in his life. Finding that he met the test conditions, he immediately decided to sign up!
"Quite a lot of people were interested at the time, but not so many of them actually applied in the end, mainly because deep sea diving was still in its infancy in China and everyone felt that it was too much of a risk to dive down to the seabed hundreds or even thousands of metres below the surface of the ocean."
It was also on the mothership carrying the Jiaolong submersible for scientific exploration that I interviewed Fu Wentao in his cabin. He still had vivid memories of signing up for oceanaut recruitment: "I personally think that scientific exploration itself is a challenge, and calls for outstanding forerunners. Besides, I am politically upstanding and joined the Chinese Communist Party when I was in 12th grade. I am in sound physical and mental condition. I was near the top of the class in college."
Fu Wentao is also handsome and eloquent. He even has the potential to become a "star" in the entertainment industry. He is smart and dynamic, with a constant passion for exploring unknown and interesting areas. We spent the whole morning in that small cabin, talking about the deep-sea diving industry, as well as more generally about society and the nation.
Shortly after signing up, Fu Wentao received a message that his application had passed the review stage and that he was required to attend an interview and physical examination at the North China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration in Qingdao, which had been entrusted by the COMRA to select the first batch of oceanauts. He was only a month away from his postgraduate entrance examinations when he received the message. He was worried that the interview might affect his entrance exam. But deep down, he believed he had to seize this rare opportunity and have a go.
"Fifteen of us were present for the test, including Tang Jialing from the Harbin Institute of Technology. The testing lasted for over a week, covering more than 100 items, including physical and mental examinations and every type of exam that you could possibly think of." Fu said to me: "Mr. Xu, you couldn't begin to how strict the test was. Rumour had it that the test was as strict as the astronaut recruitment process. I was very impressed with the compression test. In the test, the candidates were shut into a hyperbaric chamber, with the pressure set to a level equivalent to that of being at a depth of 18 metres underwater, and the candidates had to stay there for 45 minutes to pass the test. In this high-pressure environment, my eardrum was in so much pain that I almost gave up, but I kept going. Lots of people were eliminated at this stage."
After he had completed the test, Fu returned to Hangzhou to continue preparing for his postgraduate entrance examination. A month went by without news and he felt disappointed and desperate. On 25th December 2006, as his fellow students celebrated Christmas Day, Fu stayed in bed in his dormitory, revising from an English textbook. Suddenly the phone rang- it was a call from a strange number. He picked it up and heard a voice say, "Is that Fu Wentao? I am Chen Lixin from the Personnel Office of the North China Sea Branch. I am calling to officially notify you that you have passed the oceanaut selection exam and have been accepted. Will you accept this offer?"
"Really? Are you serious! Great! Of course!" said Fu. The unexpected surprise had rendered him speechless.
"Well, please report to the North China Sea Branch in Qingdao on 5th February 2007!"
"Well, thank you, Director Chen, thank you! I will be there." "Yes!" he shouted as soon as he had hung up, and threw his textbooks away. He was going to be an oceanaut! Beforehand, he had been facing an uncertain future, the pressure to survive and the feeling of being pushed forward. Now at least he had secured a stable job as one of China's first generation of oceanauts. As long as he worked hard, this job would contribute the country's progress and help him to develop as a person. He felt as if a brightly lit path had just opened up in front of him.
Tang Jialing
When the media reported on the success of the Jiaolong submersible sea trial, they always said, "China's first generation of oceanauts are Ye Cong, Fu Wentao and Tang Jialing."
Later, when the CPC Central Committee and the State Council awarded the title of "Heroes of Deep-Sea Manned Submersibles", the "three brothers" were ranked at the top.
If Ye Cong is the chief designer and oceanaut at the 702 Institute, then Fu Wentao and Tang Jialing are the first batch of professional oceanauts to have been recruited and trained in China. Every time the mother ship was on a voyage, Tang Jialing and Fu Wentao would stay in a cabin with the inscription "oceanauts" clearly visible on the doorplate. This was common practice in the years between the sea trial and the experimental application of the manned submersibles. They joined the team on the same day, had already been working together for eight years, and were as close as brothers. When I interviewed Fu Wentao, Tang politely left us alone. For my interview with Tang, Fu did likewise.
Tang Jialing is two years younger than Fu Wentao and slightly shorter. But they are equally handsome and well-proportioned, with a similar cropped hairstyle and black eyes that sparkle with intelligence. What impressed me most about him was that he was already very mature and considerate at such a young age. If I raised my cup, he would come over to fill it. "Mr. Xu, please drink some water. What do you want to know? I'm ready for any questions you may have."
"Well, I want to know about your study and growth before the deep sea diving project started. This isn't the kind of interview typically conducted by journalists, but it focuses more on the ups and downs, the positives and negatives of your experience."
When you heard the name of Tang Jialing, you would easily recognize that this person came from Sichuan Province whose hometown was located by the Jialing River. Tang was actually born in Sichuan, but not right on the banks of the Jialing River. He grew up in the upper reaches of the river, which are a tributary named Fu River. On 20th April 1984, there was laughter in an ordinary worker's house in Suining City: a big, fat baby boy had been born. What should he be called? Yang Qiuyun, his mother, although not strongly built, was strong-willed and ambitious, and wished for a future for her son that was as bright as the famous Jialing River rushing all the way out into the sea. And so it was: his name would be Jialing. The "SARS" epidemic was sweeping across China in 2003, the year in which Tang sat his college entrance examinations. Students were moving into a living in the new campus, which was closed to the outside world. His hard work paid off. Tang's test scores exceeded the threshold needed for entry into key universities. When he was applying for universities, it was his intention travel to faraway places. With this in mind, his first choice was to major in communications engineering at the Harbin Engineering University. He was admitted and headed to the far north of China to attend college. His mother decided to go with him to his new university and go travelling along the way. At their first stop in Beijing, they visited Tiananmen Square and the Badaling Great Wall before heading to Beidaihe. It was already the end of August, a quiet time for seaside tourism. But for Tang, who had never before seen the ocean, it was so exciting that he threw his luggage in the hotel room and rushed to the beach.
It was a cloudy day. The evening wind stirred up waves in the grey water of the ocean, which stretched out to the horizon like a bouquet of flowers. Tang excitedly opened his arms and ran onto the beach, shouting loudly: "Hello, ocean! Here I come, ocean!" He never imagined that the ocean would become his constant companion just a few years later and he would be exploring its depths. It's as though he, the boy named after the Jialing River, was destined to be drawn to the ocean sooner or later.
The university was no longer the PLA Military Engineering Institute, as it used to be called. But the campus, the old houses and the spirit stayed the same. During his four years at college, Tang Jialing gained a wealth of knowledge, like a fish swimming freely in water. In the first semester of his senior year, the university forwarded a notice issued by the COMRA advertising the selection of "deep-sea submersible oceanauts", which was of great interest to Tang as an emerging industry rich in both opportunities and challenges. Despite the risks, he believed that it was worth trying. At that time, he had signed a contract with an enterprise in Guangzhou, but he still decided to sign up to venture into the wider world.
He went to take the test after passing the qualification examination. Soon after the beginning of the second semester of his senior year, Tang travelled by boat from Dalian to Qingdao via Yantai. Fifteen candidates, including him and Fu Wentao, underwent many rounds of strict tests, whittling them down to four candidates to undergo a comprehensive interview. He went into a room surrounded by desks with interviewers sitting behind them, where the candidate had to sit in the middle of the circle. The lighting was dim and the atmosphere was tense. The interviewers asked him: "Why do you want to do this job?"
Tang Jialing calmly replied: "I have dreamed of being a soldier since I was very young and I have also always loved the ocean. Being an oceanaut would be like joining the navy. That's why I want to do this job."
"What is your understanding of life?"
"Life is limited. It can be long or short. But as long as you've fulfilled your goals in life, it is worth living."
One of the interviewers cut straight to the point: "Are you afraid of death?"
"To be honest, we are all scared of death. But I think that as long as we do what we need to do in life, then our lives will feel worthwhile enough to face death."
He did not know whether this was the correct answer, but it was indeed what he believed. After he returned to school from the test, he totally left it behind and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the writing of the graduation thesis. On 25th December, he received a phone call from Director Chen Lixin from the Personnel Department of the North China Sea Branch. "Congratulations," said the Director. "You've passed the examination to become a submersible trainee. Would you like to work in Qingdao?" Caught by surprise, Tang stared blankly for two or three seconds before replying enthusiastically: "I am very willing to work there!" "Well, please report to us on 5th February of next year."
"Wow!" said all his roommates upon hearing the news, giving him their congratulations. "It is great honour to be a first-generation oceanaut!" "You've secured a job in the State Oceanic Administration. I'm so jealous!" "You'll have to invite us to dinner!" Tang Jialing generously replied, "No problem. Dinner tonight is on me." That evening, he spent 200 yuan, the most he had ever spent on a meal, when treating his classmates to a meal. Tang Jialin called his mother to share the good news. Yang Qiuyun was so happy and worried at the same time that her voice trembled a little. Tang Jialin sensed how emotional she was and said: "Mum, please rest assured-I will not let you down..."
His school leaders were fully supportive and made exceptions for him, allowing Tang to leave for oceanaut training six months before he graduated and to complete his remaining courses and final exams in his spare time. As a result, Tang was able to take the time complete his thesis while simultaneously attending training.
His graduation ceremony was on 6th July 2007. He took leave from his tight training schedule to attend his graduation ceremony. It was a pity that he missed sitting for the graduation photo. However, he still cherished the photo and kept one with him. Even though he was absent in the picture, it still meant a lot to him.
Moving Forward Shoulder to Shoulder
Fu Wentao and Tang Jialing became China's only two professional, first-generation submersible oceanauts.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, submarine soldiers have been a kind of corps attached to the navy and divers have been providing maritime rescue services. However, they only work with certain equipment in shallow waters, at depths ranging between a few metres and a few hundred metres at most. They could not possibly rival the thousands of metres required to dive down to the seabed.
The selection and training of submersible oceanauts was done from scratch, as was the development of manned submersibles. To this end, under the leadership of the State Oceanic Administration, the Submersible Oceanauts Administration Office was set up within the North China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration in June 2006. Ji Guo, a professor-level senior engineer, was appointed as the Office Director, in charge of the day-to-day management of the two submersible navigation trainees.
The profession of submersible oceanaut is a brand new one in China. Without materials, standards and teaching outlines, the training and learning process could be likened to crossing a river by feeling out the stones. To this end, the COMRA set up an expert team to train the oceanauts in the operation of the 7,000-metre manned submersible in August 2006. This team included Huang Ruisheng, a research fellow from the Aerospace Medical Engineering Institute, as its Director, as well as Shi Zhongyuan from Shanghai Jiaotong University, Zhang Aiqun from the CAS Shenyang Institute of Automation, Yang Jinghua and Su Jun from the 750 Test Ground, Hu Zhen from the 702 Institute and Yu Jianxun from the 701 Institute. Thankfully, the two trainees were selected just as China's first manned submersible entered its assembly phase. By joining in with this process, Fu Wentao and Tang Jialin immersed themselves in the research and learned about theories and structure. It was fair to say that both they and the submersible grew up together as each day passed.
The 5th February 2007 should be seen as an unforgettable day for these two lucky young men. It was the day that Fu and Tang reported for duty at the Submersible Oceanaut Office in the North China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration. Ji Guo, the Office Director, shook their hands firmly and said: "From now on, you are participants in marine affairs!" He then led them through the formalities and assigned them dormitory rooms. They were each given an ASUS laptop and a month's salary. Since the Spring Festival was just around the comer, they were told to celebrate the Chinese New Year in their hometowns, deal with personal matters, and return to work in early March.
On 13th March, led by Director Ji Guo, they headed for Wuxi in Jiangsu Province, headquarters of the 702 Institute and birthplace of the manned submersible. They also met with the teachers in charge of their training, including Hu Zhen, Hou Deyong and Zhu Yuye, who were ready to commence their comprehensive and systemic training.
After much study and discussion, experts and scholars compiled training materials by integrating features from the ongoing research and development of manned submersibles, the successful experiences of similar foreign submersibles and the required knowledge and skills that the trainees needed to master. These materials included training rules, basic oceanographic theory, submersible operation and maintenance, simulator control training and pool test and diving training, among other courses. Through this training, the oceanauts were required to build up their knowledge of the components, operating principles and design features of various submersible systems, and develop the ability to identify and deal with general faults.
The 702 Institute also trained them to develop their ambitions, build their sense of dedication and responsibility, as well as increase their confidence in the Chinese nation. Zhu Yuye, a senior engineer on the project team, stated that: "Without any previous knowledge of deep-sea diving, the trainees had to be utterly devoted to their work. As the only two first-generation submersible oceanaut trainees, their duty was not only to achieve their personal goals, but also to herald the future of China's deep-sea diving industry."
The 702 Institute took meticulous care of the trainees in their day-to-day lives. They set up a small kitchen and arranged for professional dietitians to cook them nutritious meals. Meanwhile, the two trainees were prohibited from eating outside, drinking and smoking. They had to strictly abide by their schedule for work and rest, inform their superiors before and after leaving the Institute and undergo regular physical training and psychological self-assessment.
Their new, rigorous training scheduled kicked off. In those days, as staff members of the Underwater Habitat at the 702 Institute, Fu Wentao and Tang Jialing worked with engineers and technicians in the workshop, held pre-shift meetings, planned their work activities for the day and participated in the assembly of the submersible as assistants to their trainers. They simultaneously engaged in watching, operating and learning every single day from morning to evening. Even after they had returned to their apartment, they still took time to read, look up information and learn theoretical knowledge, so that they might understand the elements and structure of the submersible and master its design and technical characteristics as soon as possible.
During this period, they were also taken by the training team to the Shanghai Lifeng Shipyard to visit the Xiangyanghong 09 ship, so that they could become fully familiar with the surface support system, which would be their home base for their future work and life at sea. They also went to the Institute of Oceanography, Underwater Engineering and Science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University for psychological training and testing under special conditions.
It is worth mentioning that this project was presided over by Professor Shi Zhongyuan, Director of the Institute of Oceanography, Underwater Engineering and Science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In 1963, he graduated from Leningrad University in the former Soviet Union. He had long been engaged in special research in environmental physiology, he made a number of remarkable scientific and technological achievements and he was awarded the honour of being included among the first batch of state-level young and middle-aged experts who had made outstanding contributions in 1984. He presided over the physiological investigation into Mount Qomolangma and a project studying the impact of the Tibetan Plateau on human activities. In recent years, he has led researchers in a sub-topic study of major manned submersible projects. They are charged with being responsible for the selection of submersible oceanauts as well as for their physical and psychological training.
Deep-sea submersible diving involves very complex system control engineering, with the continuous control and feedback of information and rapid information overload. Therefore, it is crucial for submersible oceanauts to be able to handle information in a timely and correct manner during the diving process. The overarching goal of Professor Shi's team was to cultivate deep-sea workers with healthy bodies, stable emotions at work, a balanced mental state and optimal physiological functions.
Shi Lu, the son of Professor Shi Zhongyuan, was the PhD in psychology travelling with us on the 2014-2015 experimental application voyage of the Jiaolong Submersible. An easy-going 40-something, he had Buddha-like smile. After studying in Japan for many years, he returned to Shanghai and inherited his father's career in physiological and psychological research. The contribution made by these two generations to China's deep-sea diving project was praised far and wide.
In order to prepare for every new round of diving, engineering and technical personnel worked on testing and adjusting the submersible, while Dr Shi worked on the oceanauts. Starting the night before and continuing up until the official implementation of each task, he fitted the oceanauts with precision instruments to perform all kinds of tests, such as ECGs and EEGs. Some of the instruments were brought directly to the seabed and checked upon their return in order to collect first-hand data.
The long voyage could be very boring sometimes. He often came to my cabin for a casual chat. I once asked him: "Are there any special requirements for ordinary people who want to deep-sea dive?"
"Not necessarily, in theory. Manned submersibles are different from spaceflight. The environment within the cabin remains normal; it is the shell that bears the pressure. However, thousands of metres down in the ocean, psychological conditions will affect the oceanauts' experience of their physiology. Therefore, it is necessary for oceanauts to undergo specialized training." Shi Lu explained this complex theory in simple terms.
"No wonder Chief Director Liu refused my diving application several times, saying that I could not do it without training!"
"Yeah- I've been trained, but normally I am not allowed to dive. Since the submersibles are still at the experimental application stage, there would be big trouble if someone were to suffer from any psychological imbalances. As the technology matures, it will become like flying an aeroplane."
So, I realized that psychological strength was quite an important characteristic for a submersible oceanaut to possess. This is why Fu Wentao and Tang Jialing underwent such rigorous training.
In the autumn of 2007, a practical training session directly linked to the submersible dive began.
As had been previously arranged, Ji Guo, Director of the Oceanauts Administration Office, and Hou Deyong, Secretary of the Underwater Engineering Lab of the 702 Institute, took Fu Wentao and Tang Jialing to Fuxian Lake, which is over 70 kilometres from Kunming in Yunnan Province. It is a well-known freshwater lake in China, measuring about 32 km in length from north to south and 12 km in width from east to west. Its water quality is excellent, absolutely crystal clear, and it is 155 metres deep at its deepest point. The test site of the CSIC 750 Institute is located here.
It is China's only inland comprehensive test site for special underwater equipment. For decades, it has conducted experiments on various types of special underwater equipment in China, with a success rate of over 95%. It is called the heroic test site. There are two submersibles, Yuying-1 and Blue Whale, which are capable of diving up to 300 metres. The submersible trainees would be able to personally experience a real dive.
The first dive into the water left a real impression on the trainees. Even so many years later, Tang Jialing still affectionately recalled in his interview with me: "Let me say, Mr. Xu. Although I had already mentally prepared myself and we were in a calm lake, I still felt somehow nervous and disturbed deep down inside on this first dive. The weather in Kunming in November was much more pleasant than in the north, being neither cold nor hot. First, we attended theoretical courses for a week at the urban headquarters, before going to Fuxian Lake for hands-on operational training. It was a pleasant, sunny day and light glistened in waves on the lake's surface. The mother ships stopped near the dock and the Blue Whale submersible was already on board. Director Ji and Professor Cui took us to the ship where Yang Jinhua, the Director of the Underwater Equipment Research Laboratory, and Ji Wei, the Captain of the ship, had been waiting for us. Director Yang is a member of China's first generation of submersible rescue fleet captains, converting gradually to this role from his previous position as a navy soldier. His rigour, experience and devotion should serve as an inspiring example for to us all."
"He and Director Ji were co-commanders for this test. Captain Ji and his assistants Li Hongjia, Yang Fan and Mr. Cui from the Branch went down in the submersible with Wentao and I. It was actually a small submersible, although it was amply proportioned inside with the ability to accommodate five to six people. A hemispherical observation window in the front of the submersible gave us a good view. On our first try, we dived to about 70 to 80 metres, with Captain Ji instructing us on how to navigate the submersible and operate the manipulator. He demonstrated and we followed his instructions."
"Before we knew it a week had passed and our training was coming to an end. We reached our deepest point of more than 120 metres. One day, we were given a salvage task and Director Yang sent us to execute the task. I happened to perform a dive, instructed by Captain Ji, on the same day. He asked me to dive to the lakebed and cruise around the lake. When we discovered the object falling and plunging deep into the mud of the lakebed, I grabbed it with the manipulator and shook it, but could not pull it out. I called the mother ship to lay down an iron chain so that we could hitch it on and wind it up using the winch. The teachers at the 750 Institute were delighted by the success of this salvage task and I handed in a satisfying answer sheet with answers to questions about the practical training."
At the same time, as a result of the joint efforts of the CSIC 702 Institute, the CAS Shenyang Institute of Automation and the CAS Institute of Acoustics, the final assembly and joint debugging of the 7,000-metre manned submersible were successfully completed and it entered the 50-metre pool test phase. The two oceanauts returned from Kunming to Wuxi and immediately dedicated themselves to intense and systematic underwater training.
All of their training was started from scratch, with no standardized control procedures. After repeated training and exploration, the performance of submersible began to meet the design requirements and the oceanauts gradually developed their own methods of diving, operation and floating.
China's first deep-sea manned submersible, which had not yet officially been named "Jiaolong", developed in tandem with its oceanauts thanks to the "863 Programme". The faraway ocean was calling to them.
(selected from Jiaolong's Sea Explorations by Xu Chen, published by China Intercontinental Press in 2019)
