DeepFlight Merlin
DeepFlight Merlin is a personal submarine by Hawkes Ocean Technologies, part of the DeepFlight line of submersibles. The positively buoyant[1] submersible was designed by Graham Hawkes.[2] The Merlin was the first winged open-cockpit submarine (a wet sub) available on the market,[2][3] and first three-man submarine in the "aero submarine" class,[4] representing a major advance in scuba diving technology.[5]
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Hawkes Ocean Technologies |
| Operators: | Virgin Oceanic |
| Preceded by: | DeepFlight Super Falcon |
| Completed: | 1 |
| Active: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Submarine |
| Displacement: | 750 kg (1,650 lb) |
| Length: | 4.6 m (15 ft) |
| Beam: | 3.0 m (9.8 ft) |
| Speed: | 5 knots |
| Capacity: | 3 |
| Crew: | 1 |
It travels up to 5 knots,[2] has an operating time of one hour,[2] and an open cockpit,[2] requiring the use of scuba gear by occupants,[2] and giving them 360-degree views of the space around them.[1] The sub carries three, two passengers and one pilot.[6] The occupants have "windshields" to protect them from the water stream.[7] It is capable of hydrobatic maneuvers and 360-degree turns.[8] It weighs 750 kg, is 4.6 m long, 3.0 m wide, 1.2 m tall, and runs off battery power.[9] It is available as either a single-seater or two-seater.[9] The design work on the sub started in July 2009.[10]
Necker Nymph
The first example of the Merlin, the Necker Nymph, was sold to Richard Branson's Virgin Hotel Group.[11] It cost US$670,000[7] and is operated by Virgin Aquatic[12] from the 32-metre yacht Necker Belle,[13] which is based at the Virgin Limited Edition resort Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.[14]
References
- Design World, "DeepFlight Merlin 3-person Aero Submarine", 18 February 2010 (accessed 31 July 2010)
- ABC News, "Richard Branson's 'Underwater Plane' Is 1st of Its Kind", Ki Mae Heussner, 4 February 2010 (accessed 31 July 2010)
- Buzzle.com, "Virgin Goes from Air to Sea with Luxury Submarine Rides" Archived 10 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine, 6 February 2010 (accessed 2 August 2010)
- gather.com, "Necker Island & Virgin founder Richard Branson on Oprah Winfrey Show" Archived 11 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 22 April 2010, Matt Clark (accessed 2 August 2010)
- Forbes, "Submarines For The Super-Rich", Joumana Saad, 11 May 2010 (accessed 2 August 2010)
- Deep Flight, Merlin Archived 22 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine press release, 1 February 2010 (accessed 31 July 2010)
- Popular Mechanics, "Richard Branson Dives Into Personal Submarines With Hawk", Cassie Rodenberg, 11 March 2010 (accessed 31 July 2010)
- SmartPlanet, "Richard Branson reveals $662K fighter jet-inspired submarine" Archived 11 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Andrew Nusca, 1 February 2010 (accessed 31 July 2010)
- gizmag, "Necker Nymph: underwater flying becomes Virgin territory" (accessed 31 July 2010)
- Outside Magazine, "Just Don’t Call It a Submarine", Thayer Walker, May 2010 (accessed 31 July 2010)
- Contra Costa Times, "San Anselmo's Hawkes sell submersible to billionaire Richard Branson" Archived 16 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Jim Welte, 2 February 2010 (accessed 31 July 2010)
- Time Magazine, "Virgin Founder Richard Branson", Dan Fletcher, 1 September 2009 (accessed 25 July 2010)
- SuperYachts.com, "Necker Nymph ‘Underwater Aircraft’ announced by Virgin Limited Edition" (accessed 25 July 2010)
- New York Daily News, "Richard Branson's latest toy? An underwater plane called 'Necker Nymph'", Catey Hill, Monday 1 February 2010 (accessed 25 July 2010)
External links
- DeepFlight, Merlin (official webpage)