Iain M Banks honoured by ocean explorer

American undersea explorer Victor Vescovo has recently become the first person to visit the deepest point in every ocean, diving in a submarine named after a ship in Ian M Banks’ Culture Series. The DSV Limiting Factor was called after a General Offensive Unit of the same name in The Player of Games. Mr Vescovo is such a big, self-confessed fan of the series he also named the mission support ship Pressure Drop from a ship in the Hydrogen Sonata . A number of the smaller outboard boats used in the missions also are called after Culture ships.

He has one regret...not meeting Iain in person. He should have come to Satellite 2, where Iain was our Guest of Honour shortly before his untimely death in 2013.