[2] In 1949, Houot succeeded Jacques Cousteau as commander of the underwater research vessel, Élie Monnier, which was used for exploring the sea bed.

In spite of suffering from the after-effects of polio he took part in the diving activities of the men under his command and developed an interest in underwater research.

The success of FNRS III and the increased interest shown by the scientific community in the study of the sea bed led Houot and Willm in 1955 to consider the construction of a new submersible capable of reaching the deepest depths in the ocean (11,000 metres to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific), of being more manoeuvrable and of offering more space for scientists.

[3] Houot then took command of Archimède and the mother ship Marcel-le-Bihan and from July to August 1962, carried out deep underwater tests in the Kuril trench off Japan.

Between 1961 and 1970 Commander Houot carried out 64 dives with the bathyscaphe in the Mediterranean and off Japan, Puerto Rico, Greece, Madeira and the Azores.