Submarine Cars: They’re Not Just for James Bond Anymore
Got a Secret Lair You Need to Flee To? Do it in Style.
This week at Rob Raskin’s Millionaire Survivalist, we’re going to begin our review of the best personal submarines with something you may have thought you’d never see outside of a spy movie: a submarine race car.
Swiss designer Rinspeed Inc. originally debuted their sQuba race car at the Geneva Auto Show in 2008. The vehicle is reminiscent of the amphibious Lotus Esprit James Bond drove in The Spy Who Loved Me. In the movie, Bond’s car was capable of traveling by land and by sea. If he needed to make a quick getaway, there was no shoreline to stop him. This idea is appealing to preppers for obvious reasons.
In fact, underwater travel using a variety of vehicles could serve numerous purposes in a survival situation. If you were one of only a handful of people in the world who had the capability of traveling this way, you would remain virtually undisturbed in all of your endeavors under the water.
Imagine being able to transport goods without fear of having them taken from you, and being able to safely change locations undetected. Underwater vehicles could also allow you to sneak up on an enemy without being spotted until it’s too late.
The security benefits offered via the use of underwater vehicles are so numerous that the Navy SEALs are now training their men in this technology. Keep reading to learn more about how a submersible vehicle can benefit you after TEOTWAWKI.
Why Navy SEALS Are Relying on Underwater Travel
Navy SEALs are now using underwater vehicles called dry combat submersibles to deliver them to their targets during missions. These missions are matters of national security, so it is imperative that they do not fail.
The submersible vehicles the SEALs are using are approximately 39 feet long and seven to eight feet in diameter. Each one weighs 30 tons. In testing, they were found to be able to travel at speeds of up to five knots for as many as 60 nautical miles.
These vehicles have the features you’d find in a standard submarine, including:
- A periscope
- Ballast tanks
- Scrubbers
- Oxygen manifolds
- Propellers
- Thrusters
The submersible vehicles are powered by batteries, as opposed to the nuclear power that drives many submarines. Each one can hold as many as eight SEALS, a pilot, a navigator, and all of their gear. The total cost for three of these submersibles is $236 million.
The original vehicles that were tested required the SEALs to be exposed in the water in blackout conditions, sitting in total silence for up to 10 hours at a time. Newer models are called dry combat submersibles because they will eliminate that problem, allowing the SEALs to be more combat-ready when they arrive at their destination.
If you want a means of underwater, undetected travel that can be powered by battery (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t?), consider a personal submersible vehicle. For the most possible fun you could have underwater, consider a sQuba.
About the sQuba
The main drawback we can see in the sQuba’s design is that unlike James Bond’s submersible vehicle, this one isn’t armed. However, it may be possible to have the vehicle customized to incorporate this feature. If the global sociopolitical climate continues to fall apart at the rate it is going now, the manufacturers themselves may even begin offering this feature in the future.
On land, the sQuba handles like any other super car, which is to say it’s an outstanding vehicle to drive. However, your ride in any other super car will end at the shoreline. With the sQuba, you can pull a lever and take your vehicle underwater. It is powered by two jets at the front of the vehicle, which allow you to steer and lift with ease.
The sQuba will allow for travel of depts of as much as 33’ down, with movement of up to two knots. It is powered by six 48-volt Lithium-ion batteries and a 54kW, 160NM motor. When it’s fully charged, it can drive for up to three hours under the water and as many as 80 on land. On land, its maximum speed is 75 mph. The submersible vehicle also features a laser-guided sensor, which enables it to operate autonomously.
The vehicle holds two people, so if you need to travel with a larger group you may need to buy a whole fleet of them! Next week, we’ll be taking a look at the best personal submarines to have onboard your yacht. Join us again for Part Three of our three-part submersibles series.
Take a closer look at the world’s first submersible car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNLL0fo9apc
The making of the James Bond submarine car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOoc8WLgYPU
These are the five best personal submarines for yachts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPzs93A3hRM
The Killer Whale Submarine is ideal for a quick getaway!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fdFAYtJwRg