by Michael Behar, Wired
Not long ago, the toy of choice for the nautically inclined with a few million dollars to spare was an opulent megayacht. Today, it’s a personal submarine.
The dive to the deep is a thrill in itself, but subs also have another advantage over above-water crafts: the ability to just duck out of sight. “Nobody knows where you are or what you are doing,” says Bruce Jones, founder of both US Submarines and Triton Submarines. “You come into port, register with customs, and then disappear.”
The newest subs can go deeper, faster, and farther than their predecessors, thanks to advances in microprocessor design, composite materials, and communications technology. “Electronics and batteries are being adapted for submersibles from more rapidly developing and better-funded communities,” says marine consultant and undersea explorer Don Walsh, an oceanographer who has been plumbing the depths since the days when private submarines were just a figment of the future.
Perhaps the greatest leap forward has been in the glass: Precision molding systems can now fashion massive, flawless spheres thick enough to withstand 16,000 pounds of pressure per square inch—the crushing weight of water at 35,000 feet deep. “Glass gives you an incredible immersive experience,” Jones says. “The refractive index closely approximates seawater, so when you’re inside the sub the boundaries disappear.” And what you’ll encounter below trumps anything you’ll see from the deck of your yacht.
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The dive to the deep is a thrill in itself, but subs also have another advantage over above-water crafts: the ability to just duck out of sight. “Nobody knows where you are or what you are doing,” says Bruce Jones, founder of both US Submarines and Triton Submarines. “You come into port, register with customs, and then disappear.”
The newest subs can go deeper, faster, and farther than their predecessors, thanks to advances in microprocessor design, composite materials, and communications technology. “Electronics and batteries are being adapted for submersibles from more rapidly developing and better-funded communities,” says marine consultant and undersea explorer Don Walsh, an oceanographer who has been plumbing the depths since the days when private submarines were just a figment of the future.
Perhaps the greatest leap forward has been in the glass: Precision molding systems can now fashion massive, flawless spheres thick enough to withstand 16,000 pounds of pressure per square inch—the crushing weight of water at 35,000 feet deep. “Glass gives you an incredible immersive experience,” Jones says. “The refractive index closely approximates seawater, so when you’re inside the sub the boundaries disappear.” And what you’ll encounter below trumps anything you’ll see from the deck of your yacht.
Read more:
