PAYSIS, PISCES or PAISES submersible

[aukepalmhof]

Russia issued a set of stamps in 1990 which depicts submersibles, the 25 R depict the PISCES VII or XI, in Russian sources she is named PAYSIS and I did also see the name PAISES. Which submersible is depict I don’t known.
In 1973 the Canadian company Hyco International Hydrodynamics in North Vancouver received an order for the building of a submersibles of the PISCES class the PISCES IV but at that time the relations between Russia and the West were very cool (things are repeating again), and after much pressure of the United States Government the PISCES IV was bought by the Canadian Government.
At that time there was an agreement to prohibit the export of new technology from the West to the East bloc countries.
But there was a loophole, the export of components and parts was not prohibit and a Soviet firm took advantage, they leased premises in Zurich, Switzerland and built a submersibles there with parts bought in Japan and Canada, when completed it was testes in the Mediterranean, thereafter it was loaded on the Russian cargo vessel FRYAZINO which carried it to Novorossiysk where it was delivered to the Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
The PAYSIS VII came straight from Vancouver and was testes in the Pacific Ocean then loaded on a freighter and transported to Vladivostok from where an IL-76 airplane transported the submersible to Novorossiysk. She were acquired in May 1975 and March 1976.
She were used by the Soviets in the research of water qualities, geology, biology and chemistry of the oceans.
Took part in many expeditions on the research vessels AKADEMIK KURCHATOV, DMITRY MENDELEYEV and AKADEMIK MSTISLAV KELDYSH. The first two ships were lowering down and hoisting up the submersible by a slewing crane while the AKADEMIK MSTISLAV KELDYSH used a hydraulic crane.
Both submersibles are out of service one is at the World Ocean Museum in Kaliningrad a source gives on board the old research vessel VITYAZ which is at that museum. The other is in storage and some parts are used for the MIR submersible.
Most probably the details are the same as the Canadian PISCES submersibles.
Displacement 13,000 kg, dim. 6.10 x 3.20 x 3.35m. (height)
Powered by two side-mounted reversible thrusters tiltable through 90 degree, which got the power from two leadsacid batteries.
Speed 2 knots, range 7-10 hours, has life support for 140 hours for three passengers.
Test depth 2,000 metre.

Russia 1990 25k sg6198, scott5944.
Source: Internet.