What's the largest homebuilt sub in the world?  That nicely styled and full-featured Kraka, based in Copenhagen?  Well yes, she's the largest operational homebuilt that I know of.  But her builder Peter Madsen has been working on his next project...

Read more for the photo.

Just saw this announcement about Kraka from the PSUBS group:

Kraka, the diesel-electric submersible designed and built by Peter Madsen and Claus Norregaard is currently for sale on PSUBS.ORG.

"Kraka" is a sea-going, diesel-electric submersible originally launched April 12th 2005.   She is capable of charging her own batteries and compressed air tank, hence only dependent on supply of diesel oil.   A 2-3 man crew can sleep on-board in turns.   With the sail hatch closed and air intake through the snorkel it is possible to navigate in quite rough weather.   She is equipped with a button hatch for deploying and retrieving divers while submerged.   She is also equipped with a GPS chart plotter, a gyro compass, and echo sounder. She also has a photo optical mast ( periscope) with four cameras, each covering a 90 degree view and providing 360 degrees of visibility outside the sub.

The price for the submarine is negotiable and offers are being accepted. Please visit http://www.psubs.org/forsale for more information and photos.

Peter Madsen has been hard at work on this third submarine, UC3.  This boat will be around twice the length of his previous, Kraka and is a modern streamlined design which is a departure for him and his team.  His earlier boats have a WWII U-boat feel and like their historical ancestors seem to do well on the surface.   But it was his success in running Kraka submerged with a diesel engine and snorkel that led him to pursue a more Albacore-like hull form with better submerged performance.  I guess it's more fun to run submerged than on the surface!

He recently (October 2005) sent this update:

Well - plus 200 meters of welding done - all bulkheads instaled - all frames positioned - portholes cut, tower and deckhatch holes cut, hatch ordered...

 

2.7 tonnes of batteries has arrived with two hp ( 3000 psia ) compressoers - plus a bulck og hp air cylenders...

 

In short - we are underway...going ahead flank.

  Photos of UC3 construction...

Update Jan. 19, 2006:
Jonathan McBeck? is working on a new article on UC3.  You can post suggestions and questions to him at this forum:
www.silenthunter.dk UC3 Forum

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/