THE mother ship of China’s manned deep-diving submarine, Jiaolong, has returned to Qingdao after completing its mission of a 5,000-meter dive in the Pacific Ocean between southeastern Hawaii and North America. The ship returned Aug. 23 with two oceanauts, Tang Jialing and Fu Wentao, as well as 46 crew members. Jiaolong set off on the 49-day journey July 1 with 96 experts from 13 institutions. Eight crew members completed 15 dives, the deepest 5,180 meters. The submarine also made several operation tests, taking photos, shooting video, surveying seabeds and taking samples from the ocean floor. Jiaolong’s success is a milestone in China’s deep-water equipment and technology development, according to the State Oceanic Administration. The mother ship has completed dozens of ocean-surveying missions and visited Japan, South Korea, Russia, North Korea and the United States. (Li Hao, Zhang Xudong) ? | 