The NR-1 was a very different breed of fish. It was not a large missile-carrying submarine, nor was it a submersible such as the Trieste, which held the world record for the deepest dive. Bigger subs could stay down longer, but could not go very deep, while submersibles were good only for short dives or were tethered to surface ships. Our boat would be able to descend to 3,000 feet, stay there as long as our TV dinners held out, and actually drive along the ocean floor on a set of Goodyear truck tires. A crewman lying on his belly could search the bottom through special viewing ports. It was the next best thing to going for a walk down there. Although Cold War tensions were at a peak, our only weapon was a pistol locked in an on-board safe. Time at depth, not firepower, was our strong suit. But we discovered that in case of trouble under water, there would be no way out.