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Download Chinese scientists completed a dive in the Jiaolong manned submersible in the South China Sea on Monday, marking a good start to the vessel's trial mission and its first dive this year. The Jiaolong was unloaded from the Xiangyanghong 09 oceanographic vessel and began its dive at around 10 am, returning to the vessel at around 4:30 pm. The submersible and its crew of three dove to a depth of about 1,400 meters during the dive. The crew included Ye Cong, one of the designers of the Jiaolong and an employee of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corp; Yang Bo, a researcher from the Institute of Acoustics under Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Liu Kaizhou from the Shenyang Institute of Automation under the CAS. Liu Feng, chief commander of the mission, said the success of the dive confirmed the submersible's ability to perform reliably. "The discovery of multiple sea bed dwellers, such as mussels and spider crabs, will help to support further research in the South China Sea," Liu said. In future dives, 14 scientists from various fields will study the ocean depths from the Jiaolong, said Hu Zhen, deputy chief designer of the submersible. "Taking scientists and engineers to deep sea areas in the Jiaolong will further help us explore and protect the undersea world," Hu said. Jin Jiancai, secretary-general of the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association, said the Xiangyanghong 09, the Jialong's mother ship, is expected to sail for 113 days and the mission will include three dive projects. | 
