The Project 1855 Priz Deep-Diving Rescue Vehicle was designed by the Lazurit Central Design Bureau Open Joint Stock Co. Lazurit was established in 1953 to design and construct combat and special-purpose submarines, as well as underwater constructions and vehicles. Some accounts suggest that the Project 1855 submarine is the Mir-class, but these accounts are evidently in error.
There is very little known about Russia deep rescue systems. The Krasnoye Sormovo plant built four [some reports claim five] titanium-alloy Priz rescue submersibles able to accommodate 20 men and dive as deep as 1,000 meters. Krasnoye Sormovo also made one air-transportable Bester submersible which had an 18-man capacity and a diving operational depth of 720 meters (the second Bester vehicle had not been completed as of 2002). Disputing these Russian accounts, one western source claims that Other sources claim the Priz, operated as an unmanned capsule, can carry nine evacuees at a time, while the Bester can carry up to 20. The Priz, about 44 feet long and 19 feet high, is believed to be operable in either manned or unmanned mode. Some sources suggest it has a battery endurance of only three hours.
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