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Submarine piloted by James Cameron to begin cross-country journey

James Cameron gets a handshake from Navy Capt. Don Walsh before the hatch of the Deepsea Challenger submarine is closed and Cameron's solo voyage to the deepest part of the ocean begins on March 25, 2012.
James Cameron gets a handshake from Navy Capt. Don Walsh before the hatch of the Deepsea Challenger submarine is closed and Cameron’s solo voyage to the deepest part of the ocean begins on March 25, 2012.
(Mark Thiessen / Associated Press)
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A submarine piloted by director James Cameron for a solo dive to the deepest place in the oceans was preparing Saturday for a cross-country journey to its permanent home in Massachusetts.

Cameron, director of blockbusters like “Avatar” and “Titanic,” piloted the Deepsea Challenger on a dive 35,787 feet under the water in the Mariana Trench’s Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Guam in March 2012.

He also helped to design the torpedo-shaped vessel.

Cameron was the third person to reach the depth and the first to do it alone.

The submarine is on display Saturday at the California Science Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. before beginning an over-land journey to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Woods Hole, Mass. Cameron was slated to speak at 1:30 p.m.

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Cameron said in a statement that he hoped his journey in the Deepsea Challenger would inspire kids to take an interest in science and exploration.

“By telling the story to schoolkids in a hands-on way, we can inspire the next generation of engineers, scientists and explorers who are so vital to the nation,” he said.

The submarine will make stops along the way at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas on June 4, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans on June 5 and on Capitol Hill in Washington beginning June 11. It is slated to arrive at its final destination by mid-June.

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Twitter: @sewella

abby.sewell@latimes.com

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