Peter Madsen and Claus Nørregaard of Copenhagen, Denmark have built an incredible U-boat inspired personal submarine.  Named Kraka, this boat is:

• 12.6m long,
• 6 metric tons displacement,
• 1m diameter (maximum) crew compartment,
• diesel engine, two generators and a compressor,
• is able to operate independent of shore support. 

Amazing accomplishment that you have to see to believe.  Peter sends the following update:

Kraka has dived some fourty times by now times, and can be considered quite a successfull design. One of the most interesting test was a diesel powered dive - sailing with high speed submerged using the "snorchel" as a means to supply the dieselmotor with air. Work on the 30 ton new boat named UC3 has started - I am cutting segments of frames in 15 mm high tensile steel for its 6 feet diameter pressure hull.

 

Originally we designed the UC3 with a classic surface optimised hull shape, but for a number of reasons, including the fine results of snorchel operations on Kraka, the hull shape is now designed like the

USS Albacore - that is like a cylinder with a torpedo shape bow and a - well - torpedo shape stern.

 

Expected construction time three years - or less

Peter's website (Danish): http://www.submarines.dk/ [1]

Kraka information on the UC3 Submarine Project website: www.bluesky-services.dk/submarine/pages/page_053_uk.html [2]

A nice set of photos and information posted on Pat Regan's site: http://www.vulcaniasubmarine.com/KRAKA.htm [3]