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Welcome-to-the-Keldysh

The Keldysh seen in the movie.

The Keldysh was Brock Lovett's research ship. One of the world’s largest research ships, RV Akademik Mstislav Keldysh is owned and operated by the P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, a division of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Launched in 1981, Keldysh has supported many scientific and exploratory voyages.

Keldysh is 122 m in length with a beam of 18 m. Displacing 6,240 tons, cruising speed for the ship is 10.5 knots, with a maximum speed of 12.5 knots. Range is 20,000 nautical miles and the propulsion is supplied by four 1,460-hp diesel engines.

Keldysh is equipped with sophisticated satellite navigation and communication equipment to support its operational and science requirements. To deploy submersibles and scientific instrumentation, the ship has 15 winches, four cranes and an A-Frame.

Science and Film Making[]

The R/V Keldysh is an excellent vessel for multidisciplinary projects that involve large teams of scientists or filmmakers. The vessel can berth up to 47 scientific personnel, 53 officers and crew, and 25 technicians. The working space for research includes 17 laboratories. Rocks and biological samples can be examined in the wet lab. Another lab contains sophisticated computers and other electronic equipment.

The largest workspaces on the ship are dedicated to supporting the Mir I and Mir II submersibles. Keldysh was converted to support these submersibles in 1987. The Mirs are the heart of the ship, and its equipment and crew are optimized to support these deep-diving submersibles.

Scientists and ship personnel on board are split into “watches” so that a crew of people is always working, collecting data and managing the ship, 24 hours a day. The mess serves meals and snacks to the hungry crew and scientists. Recreational facilities include a lounge, library, volleyball court and exercise room.

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