PRODUCT SPECIAL. DESIGN DEBATE A look at the impact the new IMO Tier III NOx requirements will have on the design of the lower decks.

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Colin Morrison
5 years ago
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1 ISSUE 26 DESIGN DEBATE A look at the impact the new IMO Tier III NOx requirements will have on the design of the lower decks. CONCEPTS Exploring the ideas, materials and technology that are likely to influence the projects of tomorrow. PRODUCT SPECIAL FURNITURE, TECHNOLOGY, FITTINGS, LIGHTING, FURNISHINGS

2 SUBMARINES FOCAL POINT FLYING INTO F CUS Superyacht owners are increasingly enjoying the novelty of having what some call an underwater tender. We take a look at some of the innovations that are making personal submarines easier and safer to operate. 42

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Given that 94 per cent of life on Earth is aquatic, it s rather odd how little of the ocean we ve explored. In fact, it is frequently cited how we know more about space than we do about the deep sea.

4 Given that 94 per cent of life on Earth is aquatic, it s rather odd how little of the ocean we ve explored. In fact, it is frequently cited how we know more about space than we do about the deep sea. As Graham Hawkes, founder of DeepFlight, commented during a TED talk on the subject, The rockets are pointing in the wrong damn direction! Not everyone will agree of course, but for those who do, and who have the means, a submarine is the answer. The past decade has seen huge advancements in design, technology and research that make personal subs relatively easy machines to launch, manoeuvre and pilot from a superyacht. Last year, David Attenborough proved this by, aged 89, heading 1,000ft underwater in a Triton sub off S/Y Alucia for his BBC documentary Great Barrier Reef. A few years earlier, film director and explorer James Cameron broke records by taking the Deepsea Challenger seven miles below the surface to the deepest place on Earth. Thankfully, most do not need to be equipped to reach Earth s deepest point, but going underwater even a few metres in a sub demands a design that incorporates state-of-the-art technology and endless safety considerations. The engineering of these machines has adapted over the years and many personal subs are now powered by lithium batteries and use a positive fixed buoyancy system. This simplifies the operation, allowing owners and guests to easily switch off the power and surface in an emergency. A traditional sub sinks because it adds water to the system and then pumps out that water to get light, explains DeepFlight president Adam Wright. For ours, in order to dive you need to expend energy. If you run out of power, you naturally just float back up to the surface. If you engineer it correctly, there s nothing unsafe with a ballast system but it adds more complexity. DEEPFLIGHT'S DRAGON, THE FIRST DEEPFLIGHT CRAFT TO OFFER HOVERING CAPABILITY 44

5 You don t see scuba divers lying on their backs looking upwards. The same applies to subs. Simplicity is key for safety in an industry where regulations are still rather fluid and no specific licence is required for piloting. Underwater, stability needs to be a given usually achieved by keeping the buoyancy high and the weight low. SEAmagine s submersibles maintain a fixed horizontal attitude irrespective of thrust direction, ascent, descent or addition of equipment. As with DeepFlight s latest sub, the Dragon, letting go of the joystick, which is used to operate the movement of the softwarecontrolled craft, simply causes its submersibles to stop and start rising slowly. The iphone is a very complex piece of equipment but the user interface doesn t show any of that, Wright explains. We ve done the same kind of thing. The user has minimum amount of input they can dive, hover, surface and move forward, back, left and right. Of course, the sea state is a big part of the picture and, for owners, a sub that can be used in all conditions is high up on the tick list. A submersible should work whenever it is required, a thousand times a year or three or four times a year, says SEAmagine s president Charles Kohnen. For a private owner, this can be more critical than a tourism operation. The opportunity to dive may be only a few times a year, so it is paramount that technical issues do not stop that dive. SEAmagine subs do have all the latest electronics incorporated but the fundamentals of the craft do not depend on them, which ensures higher reliability and safety. Weight has historically been another consideration for personal subs and today, DeepFlight is leading the way by using lighter weight composite materials instead of metals or acrylic, making them much easier to store on a yacht. This has knock-on safety benefits too, as Wright explains, You can make the sub obscenely thick for the depth that 45

6 A SEAMAGINE SUB SLOWLY RESURFACING TO A HIGH FREEBOARD you re going to. We give it a depth rating of 120 metres but it s capable of something more like 1,000. Using high-grade materials also ensures a low-maintenance product that will stand the test of time ideal for crew who are tasked to maintain it. Weight is also a major consideration when designing the viewport, but as Kohnen points out, Simply reducing the size of the cabin and asking owners to squeeze tight inside an acrylic bubble is not a fair answer to the vision owners should expect to have. It s very important to achieve the right balance between design and function. In many cases, this viewing pod is the starting point for design; after all, the whole purpose of the craft comes back to this space. John Ramsay, principal designer at Triton Submarines agrees. You don t see scuba divers lying on their backs looking upwards. The same applies to subs. It s important to maximise the view front, side and, most importantly, below, he says. SEAmagine cites this viewport as the starting point in its design process. We begin with comfortable seating of the passengers and ensure a full panoramic view through the acrylic 46 hull, then define the shape and size of the hull. The objective is to maximise that underwater field of view. Then, keeping SEAmagine s basic requirements in mind, the design is evolved on an aesthetic base to produce a sexy design, at the same time keeping in mind the engineering requirements. Of course, while this machine is most at home underwater, getting it there is another matter, and safe launch-and-recovery systems are paramount. The submarine on Pegaso was 2.5m high which is higher than your average tender, explains Andy Moore of Andy Moore Design. He points out how it is important to consider all dimensions of the preferred sub to be used. Stability is also an important consideration, particularly when launched from the side as most submarines are extremely heavy the Pegaso sub was 14 metric tonnes. The designer goes on to highlight how it is more stable to launch a sub from the stern, as seen on many commercial vessels. While paying particular attention to the type of crane used to ensure the launch and retrieval of the craft is done so safely, pointing to how specific

cranes were developed for Pegaso. Historically, small submarines had to be boarded while the machine was still on deck and the ship had to launch the submarine with the occupants on board.

7 cranes were developed for Pegaso. Historically, small submarines had to be boarded while the machine was still on deck and the ship had to launch the submarine with the occupants on board. SEAmagine changed all that in the 1990s and for the first time allowed the submersible to be launched unmanned and controlled from the outside. The new SEAmagine Aurora offers a solid and stable platform with a high freeboard and a horizontal walking deck, assisted with telescoping handrails, to guide the boarding process to the large top hatch. The purposely designed stern provides a secure docking arrangement to enhance the convenience of the boarding process, critical for rough-weather operation, comments Kohnen. There s plenty of innovation in this area, and DeepFlight is currently working with a thirdparty supplier to create an inflatable dry-dock launch and recovery system. You would tie it to the back of your swim platform and the sub just pulls in and drives up the ramp, explains Wright. They have similar things for jet skis. When you re done with it, you just deflate it and fold it up. U-boat Worx, meanwhile, has devised the wireless MARLIN controller that allows the pilot to steer the submersible on the surface without the need to be inside. With such great leaps being taken in the design of submarines, it is little wonder that more and more owners are keen to get their hands on one. And as innovations continue to improve, the ocean can only become more accessible. As Graham Hawkes comments, Our kids will have access to the ocean in a way that we never did. For now, though, this is novelty enough. SEAMagine offers a list of typical on-board equipment. Spare-parts kit Submersible battery charger included with the submersible Spare O2 tanks O2 booster pump Spare Sodasorb containers High-pressure-air scuba compressor Mobile surface-control station and related equipment included with the submersible Tools and general workbench Spare ballast weight included with the submersible Low-pressure air compressor with dry output assembly Electrical Power Requirement The submersible battery charger will need either one 45 AMP breaker outlets with VAC/50-60Hz or two 25 AMP outlets if that is easier to configure for the ship. The submersible battery charger is included with the submersible and is best installed within a 5m-9m distance from the submersible storage location. Hp Scuba Air Compressor Typical scuba-diving HP air compressor will be required on the ship to refill the tanks for ballast air. Oxygen Requirement There is no need for an oxygen generator to be on board the ship. Typically, SEAmagine clients keep six spare O2 tanks which are oxygen-prepared 120 cu ft Nitrox-type tanks that can be held in storage on the ship. With six spare tanks, the submersible will have sufficient O2 for a few months (up to a year) before they need to be refilled. The O2 spare tanks are stored similarly as NITROX scuba tanks. The spare O2 tanks would provide longer capacity if the ship procured an O2 booster pump. 47

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