Pedal-powered submarine to go on the market

A pedal-powered submarine capable of diving up to 30 metres has been developed by a Russian company.

From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Peda-powered submarine the alternative to the traditional holiday pedalo ride Photo: SOLENT NEWS

The craft can be powered by two people with no specialist training and moves at about walking pace.

The pedallers sit side by side in the craft, most of which is made from a special acrylic glass.

Its designers say this will give occupants "spectacular underwater views".

Apart from two sets of pedals, controls are limited to a steering wheel and a few buttons to make operating the submarine as simple as possible.

The sub was developed by Russian company called Marine Innovative Technologies Ltd (MIT) and is expected to cost £50,000 pounds although prices could drop to around £15,000 for bulk buyers.

MIT expect to sell to private buyers as well as companies hiring out the subs to tourists in popular resorts.

At 11ft long and 6ft 6in wide it is possible to transport the craft on the back of a car trailer. MIT will also offer a model with a low-power electric drive unit as well.

Safety features include an automatic system to release ballast for surfacing in an emergency.

MIT, based in St Petersburg, says the vehicle boasts a high degree of manoeuvrability and can go forwards, backwards, up and down, hover and rotate about its vertical axis.

Scientists at MIT say that no one has previously built an enclosed, pedal-powered submarine for tourists because they could not generate the required power.

However, MIT has patented an innovative design - utilising a phenomenon called the Coanda effect - which enables two people to create enough thrust.

Long-lost World War II sub found off Swedish coast

(CNN) -- Lighthouse keeper J.A. Eckerman was the last person to see World War II Soviet submarine S-2 before it sank in January 1940 between Sweden and Finland.

A team of Swedish and Finnish divers had been searching for the Soviet submarine S-2 since 1999.

As the submarine dove near the island of Market, northwest of Aland, Eckerman heard a loud explosion and saw smoke rise from the water.

The long-lost wreck was missing for 69 years until a team of Swedish and Finnish divers -- including Eckerman's grandson Ingvald -- discovered it this year.

What remains of the sub was found between the Swedish coast and the Finnish island of Aland, northeast of Stockholm, in late February, the divers announced Tuesday.

The submarine was very badly damaged by the explosion, said Marten Zetterstrom, one of the divers. The front gun is still there, and a torpedo is still in one of the tubes, but about 20 meters (about 65 feet) of the vessel is missing.

The search had been going on for nearly 10 years, the divers said in a news release.

The sub had a crew of 46 and four passengers when it sank.

Sweden and Finland claim credit for sinking the submarine with mines. Russia has contacted Swedish and Finnish authorities to clarify what caused the submarine to sink, the divers said.

Finland was at war with the Soviet Union at the time the sub sank. A deal between Germany and the Soviets had put the Nordic nation within the Soviet "sphere of influence," and Soviet troops had invaded Finland late in 1939.

The fighting was mostly confined to Finland's eastern border. Just two months after the submarine's sinking, a temporary peace agreement was reached.

Sweden remained neutral in World War II