BEIJING, July 28 (UPI) -- China says its Jiaolong manned deep-sea submersible reached a depth of 16,900 feet during a test dive in the eastern Pacific.
The submersible took photos and video and made a topography scan at the ocean floor during Thursday's 3.5-hour dive, China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
The craft, named after a mythical sea dragon, is the world's first manned submersible designed to reach a depth of 23,000 feet, Jiaolong chief designer Xu Qinan said.
Thursday's test dive was in preparation for an attempt to reach that record-breaking depth set for 2012, China's State Oceanographic Administration said.
China is the fifth country to send a man more than 11,000 feet below sea level, following the United States, France, Russia and Japan, Xinhua reported.
