U-Boat Worx, submarine manufacturers from the Netherlands, have come up with a staggering submarine which they’ve unveiled on the occasion of the 22nd Monaco Yacht Show, during this September. Dubbed the C-Explorer 5 – CE5 -, the people behind it call the device “the world’s first subsea limousine”.
The process of manufacturing has taken roughly two years, the works at the vessel having been started in 2010. Boasting with the ability to cozily accommodate four people plus the pilot and featuring a state of the art air conditioning system, the CE5 comes with a pressurized hull which enables it dive at as much as 300 meters deep with a top speed of 3 knots.
The CE5 is powered by a cluster of high capacity lithium-ion batteries which ensure it with 8 hours of operational autonomy. There is also an optional upgrade to 16 hours of autonomy. In addition, in case of emergency, the submarine can provide an additional 96 hours of emergency life support. In terms of propulsion, the horizontal and vertical movements are being handled by two pairs of 2 kW thrusters. There’s an available upgrade for these as well, buyers being able to choose two supplementary 1.2 kW thrusters.
The list of optionals carries on, completed with an external manipulator arm, LED lights, HD video camera, a tethered remote operated vehicle able to explore areas unreachable by the CE5 and imaging sonar. Apart from the pretty nice appearance of the contraption, there not much more to be said. Oh, let’s not forget the price – a humongous $2.4 million or around €1.9 million at current exchange rates.
[Gizmag]
