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SYFY WIRE Science

Triton's new bubble-sub is the deepest diving acrylic underwater craft ever built

By Jeff Spry
Triton Hero

If your exotic travel plans call for taking an oceanic plunge to go inspect the wreckage of the Titanic anytime soon, you might want to take a look at this next-generation bubble-sub from Triton Submarines that can safely dive down to an astonishing 13,123 feet if so desired.

Equipped with an acrylic ball cockpit and cool pair of extendable gull wings, Triton's Titanic Explorer 13000/2 will be fully rated for underwater excursions nearly three miles down and is currently the world's deepest diving personal sub.

The clear, distortion-free operator/passenger cockpit is crafted from a single section of thick acrylic, which is then heated and molded into a circular shape to deal with the intense pressures encountered at extreme ocean depths.

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The Florida-base company has been manufacturing luxury civilian submarines for over ten years, and divides up its marketing program between a range of scientific explorers, commercial or cinematography customers, and elite super-yacht clients hoping to add some high-end water toys to their lives.
 
Titanic Explorer will be fortified with battery power and life support for two-person expeditions taking 12 hours or more yet uses only 40 kWh worth of battery. Four main and four auxiliary direct drive electric thrusters each deliver up to 5.5 kW. Fully outfitted, the craft tips the scales at 26,455 lbs and measures 14.6 x 9 x 9.8 ft. when completely folded.

One intriguing new feature is the Silent Glide mode that operates as the sub is descending, which allows the craft to make gentle, sweeping turns, maintain a fixed heading, track objects, or drift towards a specific target without using thrusters. This ability allows operators to not disturb ocean creatures or add unwanted motor noise to video recordings.

Besides the structural ability to sink down to check out the Titanic site, owners can also do so in record time as its articulating gull wings fold neatly against the canopy sides to create an efficient hydrodynamic shape that delivers you to the wreckage location in only two hours, rather than the customary duration of nearly three hours.

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These twenty-foot wings also house the sub's propulsion units and can be lifted to a horizontal state as to not disturb the ocean floor silt after you’ve hit bottom. Having the option of the active folding wings is also convenient for small garage parking spaces or narrow rock gaps requiring a slim profile to easily slip through.

Triton has not listed the official price or estimated availability for the Titanic Explorer yet, but with these incredible custom features and deep-diving potentials, it’s not likely to be cheap.

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