Two things lurk deep in most men’s hearts as the ultimate boy’s toys: Personal flying devices (like jetpacks) and a mini-submarines.
After a recent discussion with a good friend about the perfect underwater filming platform* I found myself revisiting my old love of mini subs and came across the Deep Flight Submarine.
Deep Flight I (DF I) was the prototype first stage in an attempt to navigate to the deepest reaches of the ocean and represents a radical new design approach for underwater vehicles. The submersible was launched in 1995. Instead of using a traditional ballast system to control dive and ascent, DF I uses stubby inverted wings to provide “negative” lift that pulls the small sub down. This downward force negates the slightly buoyant characteristics of the sub. At cruising speeds the sub is neutrally buoyant and depends on its thrusters to drive the sub up or down, the same principle used in airplanes. While traditional ballast systems emulate airships and HOT air balloons, this principle, along with DF I’s small size, allows the pilot to descend at a very fast rate to maximize bottom time. Since the overall aim is to get to 37,000 ft, it is critical to get to the bottom as quickly as possible to ensure the longest exploration time
This little beauty can explore the Mariana Trench!
*We settled on a rebreather (to stay down for hours), a motion detector (to find the big stuff), camera and lights mounted on a Farallon Mk8 twin torpedo underwater propulsion unit and a sharkshield (for defence)
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