Fathoming the Ocean

1521

Ferdinand Magellan attempts to measure the depth of the Pacific Ocean. He uses a 2,400-foot (about 730-m) weighted line but does not touch bottom. This method to reach the bottom of the sea uses what is called a sounding line.

1620

Cornelius Drebbel, Dutch engineer and inventor, builds the first submarine.

1690

English scientist Edmond Halley builds the first diving bell, a chamber to transport divers into deep water with a continuous air supply.

1872–1876

Scientists aboard the British expedition ship HMS Challenger determine ocean depths by means of wire-line soundings and discover