Search
START TYPING AND PRESS ENTER TO SEARCH
Search
START TYPING AND PRESS ENTER TO SEARCH

The SubRacing Series Human
Powered
Racing Submarine Class The ‘Human-powered Submarines’ Racing Class has been created to cover small, single-seater racing submarines, where all of the propulsive effort comes from the pilot.

Speed, Agility and Control

These machines are all ‘prototypes’, built by students of marine science, engineering and technology, to help them gain practical experience alongside theoretical studies of machines which operate in sea water.

It can take between ten and tewenty thousand man-hours to design, build, test and adjust a human-powered machine ready for the sea, but if it is is built correctly it can then achieve speeds of 5-7 knots underwater – or the speed of a dolphin!

Main Characteristics

  • Operated by one person

  • Overall length may not exceed 5.5m

  • Maximum width, excluding appendages, may not exceed 1.5m

  • The maximum depth for racing is 10m, and race times may not exceed 40 minutes

  • These are ‘wet’ submarines, so the pilot uses recreational open-circuit SCUBA equipment when in the boat.

  • The propulsion of the submarine comes entirely from the pilot – usually by underwater pedalling mechanisms

There are just under thirty teams in the world who build the human-powered racing submarines.   Most of these are based in Universities or higher learning institutions.  Teams will consist of between six and twelve students, usually at postgraduate level.

The teams are all competing for a place at one of the two annual submarine racing events. The International Submarine Races are organised by the Foundation for Underwater Research & Education (FURE) and are held in ‘odd number’ years (e.g. 2025) at the David Taylor Model Basin in the Carderock Division of the US Naval Surface Warfare Centre Washington DC.

For European teams, in ‘even number’ years the European International Submarine Races are hosted by the European International Submarine Races at the QuinetiQ Ocean Pool, Gosport UK.

There is usually a lot of competition for places on these teams and they are often oversubscribed.  They are popular because of the wide range of theoretical subjects that are covered by the projects and the chance to work on a totally unique design.

To design and build a human-powered submarine requires a wide knowledge of ocean physics, including pressure, buoyancy, materials issues, corrosion, human physiology and then materials and construction.  Marine safety, legislation and the storage, launch and management of the submarine onshore all need to be taken into account.

The participants are however very favoured and sought by many leading engineering companies and welcomed into industry and science in well-paid positions.  Over the last 20 years it is estimated that over 5000 talented engineers have taken part in these projects.