Asherah (submarine)

Asherah was the first commercially built American research submersible, owned by the University of Pennsylvania and used by archaeologist George F. Bass to examine underwater sites.[1][2] It was named after Asherah, an ancient Semitic goddess known as "she who treads on the sea".[3]

History
NameAsherah
NamesakeAsherah
Ordered1963
BuilderGeneral Dynamics, Groton, Connecticut
Launched1964
General characteristics
TypeSubmersible
Test depth600 feet (180 m)
Crew2

The two-man submarine was built by General Dynamics, Groton, Connecticut, United States, and could dive to a depth of 600 feet (180 m). Commissioned in 1963 and launched in 1964, it was used to develop a new system of stereoscopy, and allowed Bass to become the first to use side-scanning sonar to locate a shipwreck.[4]

In 1967, under Bass' direction, Asherah was used to photograph an ancient Byzantine shipwreck at a depth of 285 feet near Yassi Ada island, off the coast of Turkey.[5]

References
  1. "George F. Bass". Institute of Nautical Archaeology. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  2. Bass, George F. (2012). "Archaeology Under Water". Institute of Nautical Archaeology. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  3. In Ugarit is mentioned: ʼaṯrt ym, rabat ʼAṯirat yammi, 'Lady Athirat of the Sea'.
  4. Keiger, Dale (April 1997). "The Underwater World of George Bass". Johns Hopkins Magazine. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  5. "Expedition Magazine - Penn Museum".
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