U-Boat Worx

Dutch submersible manufacturer U-Boat Worx has revealed it will deliver the “world’s fastest submersible” for private use to its first client following successful sea trials.

The 6.5-metre-long Super Sub can carry three passengers on a journey of up to 10 nautical miles (around 18.5 km), reaching depths of 300 metres. Powered by a 62kWh battery, it offers up to eight hours of exploration time underwater.

According to U-Boat Worx, testing in the waters near the Caribbean island of Curaçao revealed what its engineers intended: “A private submersible that behaves less like a traditional underwater craft and more like a performance vehicle designed for three-dimensional freedom.”

U-Boat Worx

Super Sub’s propulsion system features four proprietary thrusters that deliver a total of 100kW of horizontal thrust. This enables the submersible to ascend and descend at a steep 45°. The fins or hydrofoils, positioned at the rear of the vessel, direct thrust, allowing it to bank, turn and dive with “extraordinary fluidity”. Once at depth, it is then able to move with the “grace of a marine creature, offering an exhilarating yet serene experience”.

With a price tag of £4.3m, it is aimed at the luxury market, with clients expected to keep the Super Sub on their yachts or for use as a standalone for underwater tourism.

U-Boat Worx

But more than a plaything for the super rich, its engineering credentials are impressive for a vessel of this type. During sea trials, engineers put the submersible through a demanding series of manoeuvres to validate propulsion, handling, avionics-style controls and onboard safety systems.

The trials also allowed the engineers to fine-tune the safety architecture, including a hyper-precise sonar system that continuously scans the seabed, autonomously adjusting trajectory and easing the craft into a parabolic path as it approaches its depth envelope. Life-support and control systems were rigorously exercised throughout the trials, ensuring that the Super Sub meets uncompromising standards.

U-Boat Worx

The sleek exterior is translated into the interior, which features an ultra-clear acrylic hull offering two passengers and the pilot an immersive 360° view of the surrounding ocean. The ergonomic seating features a five-point harness system, a safety measure for handling the sub’s high-speed manoeuvres.

U-Boat Worx announced the launch of the Super Sub in a post on LinkedIn: “We are proud to welcome Super Sub, the world’s fastest submersible! The Super Sub is the only private submersible with the speed and acceleration to keep pace with sharks, handles like an underwater hypercar and delivers manoeuvrability and G-forces you have to feel to believe.”