From submarine rescue bells to self-propelled DSRVs

Rescue bells succeeded before the Second World War, while self-propelled deep-submergence rescue vehicles emerged from later development and now support a multinational NATO capability.

Question

When did external submarine rescue systems like those attempted for Kursk begin to be used?

Short answer

Rescue bells were used successfully by 1939, while self-propelled DSRV-style systems were developed after the Second World War.

Notes

The panel distinguishes an externally lowered rescue chamber from a modern self-propelled rescue submersible. The McCann chamber used on USS Squalus in 1939 was essentially a diving bell that mated with the disabled submarine. Ideas for more capable vehicles existed before and during the Second World War, but practical DSRVs arrived later, amid concern over losses of early postwar and nuclear submarines. Britain, France, and Norway now contribute to a shared NATO rescue system. The discussion also notes the harsh difference between peacetime rescue, when access can be organized, and wartime loss, when the site may remain contested or unreachable.