Drug Submarine

[David M]

This is pretty impressive. Its completely submergeable.

I like the bright colors.....nope, nobody would see that coming!


Source CNN...
http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/0...rug-submarine/

[maxingout]

Their camouflage scheme does not seem well adapted to the swamp.

Another drug running scheme bites the dust. Good for the DEA.

[PAR]

Those blobs of color would get pretty muted with not much altitude, effectively masking the silhouette within a tree canopy covered swamp.

[SabreKai]

Hmmm. I wonder how long it would last against a modern ASW ship? Being built in the jungle I would bet its diving depth is somewhat less that 100feet, so once its located, its death would be pretty sudden and noisy.

But I love the caption, DEA finds the first "true" drug submarine. I thought they had caught one already several years ago that was fully submersible.


Sabre

[Bash]

Another home-built, one-off cruiser with a bad paint job fails to make it to its maiden voyage. Nothing newsworthy there.

[SabreKai]

I found some more articles about it, apparently its made of fiberglass. Now that's scary. Someone says it was designed for a depth of 50 feet, so that about 1.5 atmospheres? Hopefully they will post some more info on the design but I doubt it, no point in giving clues to other would be Uboot Captains.

I wonder how a fiberglass hull would do when hit by sonar? A less solid return perhaps, but I still wouldn't give them much of a chance.

Sabre

[CastOff]

Originally Posted by maxingout

Their camouflage scheme does not seem well adapted to the swamp.

Another drug running scheme bites the dust. Good for the DEA.

It's actually 'at Sea/ Underway camo'

I noticed going over the Bridge to the beach one day MAXING OUT stood out nicely at anchor there Captain It was probably 2003 IIRC that you were anchored South of that Bridge Causeway near FT Pierce. Wished I had known you were going around back then, could've invited you for a submarine ride

[CastOff]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

I found some more articles about it, apparently its made of fiberglass. Now that's scary. Someone says it was designed for a depth of 50 feet, so that about 1.5 atmospheres? Hopefully they will post some more info on the design but I doubt it, no point in giving clues to other would be Uboot Captains.

I wonder how a fiberglass hull would do when hit by sonar? A less solid return perhaps, but I still wouldn't give them much of a chance.

Sabre

The design of that submarine is somewhat antiquated in this day of computer design (CAD). The materials are not, though depending upon manufacturer fibreglass is a commonly used material.

Fibreglass actually reflects a sonar signal very differently than say metal. It's so effective in the right designs that militaries are working on Littoral Zone subs now and for the past 35 years

[CastOff]

Originally Posted by Bash

Another home-built, one-off cruiser with a bad paint job fails to make it to its maiden voyage. Nothing newsworthy there.

Haven't laughed that hard in a long time So true from all those years working in boatyards......dreams of many that never float

[CastOff]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

Hmmm. I wonder how long it would last against a modern ASW ship? Being built in the jungle I would bet its diving depth is somewhat less that 100feet, so once its located, its death would be pretty sudden and noisy.

But I love the caption, DEA finds the first "true" drug submarine. I thought they had caught one already several years ago that was fully submersible.


Sabre

Don't be so sure that sub was built in the jungle with enough money you can buy one for yourself, from finish yourself to world class liveaboard. Do a search Disclaimer, used to work for a Commerical submarine company

[CastOff]

Originally Posted by PAR

Those blobs of color would get pretty muted with not much altitude, effectively masking the silhouette within a tree canopy covered swamp.

It's to mask above Sea running, a side effect is that it adds to camo before it's loaded jungleside. You'd be surprised how hard it is to see a Sub from the deck of a boat at Sea, even from the air if the Sub is running sub surface Only thing a Sub can't hide from at Sea is it's heat signature from diesel engines. Which has been circumvented by using electric propulsion which produces a much lighter heat signature, effectively allowing the Sub in question to vanish at minimal depths.

[xsboats]

Originally Posted by Bash

Another home-built, one-off cruiser with a bad paint job fails to make it to its maiden voyage. Nothing newsworthy there.

And not the first one where drugs were involved. Didn't the Beatles have the first drug sub?

[sww914]

I wonder if they're like cockroaches in that there are another thousand for every one you see.

[ViribusUnitis]

I still wounder why they even bother to try to build one.

Why not just buy a successful design from the Democtatic Peoples Republic of Korea?

[Bash]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

Someone says it was designed for a depth of 50 feet, so that about 1.5 atmospheres?

50 feet salt water (fsw) would equal 2.52 atmospheres. Don't forget that you're at 1 atm at sea level, so you have to add that in. The formula for salt water is x'/33 + 1 = ATM.

(Sorry. Retired Scuba Instructor. Couldn't resist.)