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Chelsea Football Club Owner Building $US400 Million Mega-Yacht with Submarine, Missile Defenses
Posted by Jack Loftus at 10:30 AM on October 6, 2008
Russian billionaire and Chelsea soccer club owner Roman Abramovich is building a $US400 million mega-yacht. Yawn, you say? You have two? OK, well, this yacht has its own submarine. And armour plating with bulletproof glass. And little boats that fit inside the bigger boat. And a frickin' missile defence system that will alert he and his crew of 70 former SAS soldiers that there be pirates in those waters. It should be noted that Abramovich's other yachts—the 377ft Pelorus, 282ft Ecstasea and 160ft Sussurro—all pale in comparison to the 550ft Eclipse, and do not include missile detection systems. You can never be too safe, right?
The Eclipse, so named because Abramovich desires that it overshadow all other boats at sea, also includes an escape submarine, just in case pirates or other rapscallions make it on board. The submarine seats two, so Abramovich and his gorgeous girlfriend Daria Zhukova, 26, can make a hasty flight to safer waters (or go down to 160ft deep) while his hired guns secure the decks.
Abramovich's Eclipse will also have room for 24 guests, a cinema, aquarium, disco and a hospital. But no weapons—under maritime law, private vessels are banned from carrying them. Hence, the yellow submarine action and missile defenses that border on paranoia. [The Daily Mail]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
WeeWoo
Posted October 6, 2008 3:02 PM
They are VERY high profile after all...Personally, I think inconspicuous is the better way to go.
weak_pig
Posted 12:08 PM 6/10/08
this is wat happens when you have wayyyy too much money...
weak_pig
DJ Oxygen
Posted 12:03 PM 6/10/08
I can't help but think all the defenses and escape options will lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Building some thing like this make this guy such a jackhole I kinda want to launch an attack on him my own damn self.
DJ Oxygen
NotHellTempest
Posted 12:01 PM 6/10/08
@Itspeat!: $400 Million Mega-Yacht with Submarine, Missile Defenses smoke, don't breathe this.
NotHellTempest
smokeonit
Posted 12:00 PM 6/10/08
this is so decadent... i wonder when the russian people will take their billionaires and give them the czar treatment...
smokeonit
salthegeek
Posted 11:57 AM 6/10/08
wasn't this in a Bond movie ?
salthegeek
Elasticity
Posted 11:53 AM 6/10/08
boarding from the rear is still an option?
Elasticity
SgtToastie
Posted 11:52 AM 6/10/08
Is this a yacht or the perfect boat for attacking Somalian pirates?
SgtToastie
AutoManiac
Posted 11:48 AM 6/10/08
@Itspeat!: There's just an escape sub somewhere on the boat, the picture is misleading.
AutoManiac
KinOfCain
Posted 11:40 AM 6/10/08
Stupid maritime law. I want machine gun turrets!
KinOfCain
Itspeat!
Posted 11:39 AM 6/10/08
But does it blend?!
but nah seriously, my motto is "if you can afford it then have a effing blast buying useless things that make you happy, cause i sure as hell would"
and if it has a helicopter and can go under water then what happens to the helicopter? haha just it just stay on deck?
Itspeat!
The Lab
Posted 11:37 AM 6/10/08
Somehow I doubt that this shady Russian dude won't be keeping any weapons on board.
The Lab
phenderson
Posted 11:35 AM 6/10/08
Oh nevermind. The price has been raised. Sounds like my mortgage just blowed up.
phenderson
phenderson
Posted 11:35 AM 6/10/08
I'll take 2 at that price. Not 3 though. That's just pretentious.
phenderson
Dooosh
Posted 11:30 AM 6/10/08
I can afford $400
Dooosh
superduperadam
Posted 12:16 PM 6/10/08
hey america could have bought 1750 of these with the bail-out money
superduperadam
arsenal4
Posted 12:46 PM 6/10/08
shouldn't this be on deadspin?
just saying!
arsenal4
unkpku is think that new comments are like iPhone 3G pre 2.1, ye
Posted 12:44 PM 6/10/08
I saw this guy on VH1 The Fabulous Life of...
Oh Shit did i just admit to watching VH1?
unkpku is think that new comments are like iPhone 3G pre 2.1, yeah it sucks
phenderson
Posted 12:36 PM 6/10/08
@jimbowyer: ouch!
phenderson
jimbowyer
Posted 12:30 PM 6/10/08
And this is why you build a super yatch, with missiles and submarines and a crew of 70 ex-SAS soldiers, when it dawns on you that your billions in wealth were not the result of real hard work or ingenuity but the result of shady deals, loans for shares and political favours that enabled you to buy a 50% controlling stake in the giant Russian oil company Sibneft for $50 million- way under the market value at the time and in hindsight under valued not in the tens of millions but billions.
Or just to show off how rich you are!
jimbowyer
Gary_7vn
Posted 1:06 PM 6/10/08
How does the missile defence system work if there are no weapons allowed? The only missile defence I am aware of are mini-guns (Phalanx) and anti missile missiles...
Gary_7vn
jbhitter24
Posted 12:55 PM 6/10/08
@superduperadam: i appluade your math!
jbhitter24
frigg
Posted 1:27 PM 6/10/08
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!"
/ Paul Allen on learning his mega-yacht has been Burj Dubai'd.
frigg
Ekental
Posted 1:13 PM 6/10/08
@Gary_7vn: No no.. things like the Phalanx are CIWs, when they say missile defense system. They mean there's a radar that will alert the crew to incoming missiles, then someone will shout (in Russian or English with a thick accent for effect) "Hard" and try to dodge.
Ekental
malvones
Posted 1:44 PM 6/10/08
wtf? will it also be equipped with Aegis Combat System?
I think someone is pa-haa-ranoid.
malvones
frigg
Posted 2:07 PM 6/10/08
Is a fortified yacht like that even fun? After a certain point, isn't it like being in a floating office building?
frigg
iching
Posted 1:57 PM 6/10/08
that russian dude definitely gonna buy off some guys and keep some weapons on it anyway.....
iching
whiteknight
Posted 1:50 PM 6/10/08
guns?@The Lab: I agree, who said they couldn't pack the helicopters full of guns?
whiteknight
educating_fire01
Posted 2:17 PM 6/10/08
@smokeonit:
They are, just look at lil Mikey Khodorvsky who is rotting away in Siberia for the horrendous crime of being the owner of a multi-billion dollar Oil firm that the Russian government couldn't resist slobbering over.
educating_fire01
laio
Posted 2:17 PM 6/10/08
he could be much happier with 20 whores and the rest of the money in marijuana.
those russians don't know how to have phun
laio
Lstormy10
Posted 2:41 PM 6/10/08
He forgot to include a bowling alley. Geez.
Lstormy10
pwnz0r
Posted 2:34 PM 6/10/08
@superduperadam: And it probably will. You see, those executives who we've just bailed out need yachts.
pwnz0r
CraziestGadgets.com
Posted 2:31 PM 6/10/08
maybe he'd be a bit safer if it wasn't published in the paper that he has a giant yacht with a submarine... maybe keep your escape plan slightly on the DL.
CraziestGadgets.com
budboyy2k
Posted 2:53 PM 6/10/08
The boat's real purpose is to protect that girlfriend of his...
-Brett
budboyy2k
smeee
Posted 3:11 PM 6/10/08
They dont need weapons, ex SAS members can catch bullets with their teeth and spit them back at mortal speeds.
smeee
redkamel
Posted 3:48 PM 6/10/08
I wonder if they RPGs on it to shoot at pirates. I would kind of want to be there if sh*t went down...I mean, on any other boat, you'd be like "we ARE screwed!". On this boat, they would toss you a machine gun, tell you to get into position with the other SAS operatives and Abramovich would be emergency launching the subs. Then youd get to shoot at pirates.
redkamel
Con Seannery
Posted 3:40 PM 6/10/08
@unkpku is think that new comments are like iPhone 3G pre 2....: You sure did...
Con Seannery
Con Seannery
Posted 3:39 PM 6/10/08
@jimbowyer: a little of both
Con Seannery
Con Seannery
Posted 3:38 PM 6/10/08
@KinOfCain: I want ICBMs...
Con Seannery
Con Seannery
Posted 3:37 PM 6/10/08
@Dooosh: I'll throw in $250, how far will that get us?
Con Seannery
mpar
Posted 3:33 PM 6/10/08
wooot?? just 24 guests this is outrageous
mpar
urbanturban666
Posted 4:07 PM 6/10/08
@whiteknight: well....to be fair hell prolly pay some army to have there boats escort his boat...
urbanturban666
Toshie
Posted 4:03 PM 6/10/08
@Con Seannery: Would you settle for IBS?
Toshie
urbanturban666
Posted 4:02 PM 6/10/08
70 sas ppls and no weapons? so theyre only usefull when the ship gets invaded?
urbanturban666
Con Seannery
Posted 3:58 PM 6/10/08
I love the eclipse,
I love expensive toys,
I love decadence,
It really brings me joy,
I love the whole world,
Even this rich jackass,
Boom de yada, boom de yada, BOOM DE YADA, boom de yada
Con Seannery
sqeakytoy of the apocalypse
Posted 3:49 PM 6/10/08
I see a lot of nerf turrets, just to keep it legal. Nerf em straight to hell.
sqeakytoy of the apocalypse
spider2544
Posted 4:26 PM 6/10/08
2 helipads... god knows when im landing a helicopter on my 500 foot yacht i dont want to walk all 500 feet to get to the other side.
maritime law forbids weapons... when a dude can blow almost half a billion dollars just for his pimp ride, i think he can afford to pay off who ever tries to tell him no on the open seas.
spider2544
medopal
Posted 4:19 PM 6/10/08
im not hearing Sport news later, is Chelsea winning or losing :)
anyway, i dont want to be a Chelsea player, when we lose the game and he invites us to his yacht!!
medopal
Toshie
Posted 4:13 PM 6/10/08
@urbanturban666: There's actually a huge slingshot that they use to fire the SAS guys at invading ships. Every have an angry SAS guy land on your boat after being fired from a yacht? They are in a *FOUL* mood...
Toshie
Toshie
Posted 4:31 PM 6/10/08
@jimbowyer: And the first port of call will be the one closest to jimbowyer's house.
{fast forward to scene showing 69 SAS types behind one with an open map asking a local, "so where does this 'Jim Bowyer' live?"}
Toshie
tonashideska
Posted 4:51 PM 6/10/08
@frigg: He doesn't use that much anyway, he is going halfsies with Larry Ellison on it.
tonashideska
tylerstyle
Posted 5:24 PM 6/10/08
Ca-ra-zy!!
But I admit, that I would do the same, if I had the money...
But not some shady Boat. No, no. Remember that hidden Super Villain Base under the Volcano out of some Bond Movie? Now THAT had class. Not some stupid Boat.
tylerstyle
corpus_goatse_tx
Posted 5:17 PM 6/10/08
The boat is impressive, but does he have the "I Am Rich" app on his iPhone?
corpus_goatse_tx
Jud
Posted 5:10 PM 6/10/08
Question: Why are they comparing this to a Nazi ship that was sunk over 60 years ago?
Jud
krom
Posted 5:47 PM 6/10/08
@The Lab: shady? what do you know?
krom
justhesh
Posted 5:29 PM 6/10/08
Suck on that, Sir Alex.
justhesh
diehippiedie
Posted 5:57 PM 6/10/08
eh missile defense? more like missile alarm, weak. Screw the maritime law, youre russian! you need a missile launch tube on that yacht...um actualy screw the missiles, get one of those battlecruiser artillery guns, those are badass.
diehippiedie
Clancycoop
Posted 6:48 PM 6/10/08
Hmm... not piss people off or equip boat with missile defense system...
I'm gonna go with the missile defense system.
Clancycoop
kitsuneconundrum
Posted 6:35 PM 6/10/08
this just screams evil villian headquarters in james bond.
kitsuneconundrum
ikillbears
Posted 7:11 PM 6/10/08
this was reported by the mail so i would defiantly take it with a pinch of salt. I hate the mail
ikillbears
Jasontrainer
Posted 7:23 PM 6/10/08
I definitely want one. Can we get some better stats though? Cost of crew? Size of gas tank? Amount of time to refuel? Top speed? Total range? etc, etc... we are nerds after all.
Jasontrainer
Pretolo
Posted 9:12 PM 6/10/08
Russian "elite" are the dumbest money spenders.
Pretolo
hammertime1994
Posted 10:36 PM 6/10/08
I would shoot at him.
hammertime1994
The Lab
Posted 12:21 AM 7/10/08
@krom: Have you been reading what Russian has been like for the past several years? The whole country is shady.
The Lab
nospamsam
Posted 12:46 AM 7/10/08
Ships don't dodge missles. By the time the radar picks up a missle the crew has barely enough time to begin to turn the boat before the missle will hit. The only reason to change course is to provide the smallest radar cross section to the missle and hope that it homes in on the chaff or flares instead. This is on warships that train all the time. A radar system is useless as a missle defense system unless they have something like jamming, flares or chaff.
nospamsam
designguybrown
Posted 12:35 AM 7/10/08
shame if some poor terrorist put a shoulder-launched rocket that he got from a chinese dealer for $100US and put a whole through the command deck... its not how much you spend on armament if you have an achilles heel the size of a house...
designguybrown
Dooosh
Posted 1:47 AM 7/10/08
@phenderson: Damn inflation! It's instantaneous...
Dooosh
Dooosh
Posted 1:46 AM 7/10/08
@Con Seannery: Well when it wasonly priced at $400 we could have had over 1 and a half, but since they jacked the price up to $400 million, I think we're s.o.l.
Dooosh
Fierock
Posted 1:55 AM 7/10/08
@Dooosh: technically, according to the article, it is still only $400. But good luck finding something called a "million mega-yacht".
Fierock
chinapat
Posted 2:22 AM 7/10/08
No doubt, Roman Abramovich is a straight up mafia boss. He's best buddies with Putin also. And he happens to be the Governor of hos own State in Russia. Hard core Russian Gangster, I bet he carries a pager though....
chinapat
EricAlder
Posted 2:39 AM 7/10/08
He's a multi-billionaire and can't afford a better soccer club than Chelsea?
I think he saw "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" a few too many times and got Nemo Envy.
EricAlder
Mathray
Posted 3:04 AM 7/10/08
Afford a better soccer club than Chelsea? Check out the rankings: [sportsillustrated.cnn.com] I guess he could put in a little more cash and surpass Liverpool as best in the world...
Mathray
aec007
Posted 2:56 AM 7/10/08
@Dooosh:
$400 will get you this:
...and a bag of pork rinds.
:)
aec007
monkey314159
Posted 4:47 AM 7/10/08
Is it bad I wanna sink it just to waste the guy's money. I want people who have $400,000,000 to spend on a single yacht to be unhappy.
monkey314159
Vidic15
Posted 5:58 AM 7/10/08
All that space and no trophy room...sad.
Vidic15
tatiana.noel
Posted 6:18 AM 7/10/08
This is awesome. If I had the money, I'd have one too. but seriously, at what point do we stop calling them "yachts" (and "mega-yachts") and go into "private cruise ship" territory?
tatiana.noel
geekpi
Posted 7:47 AM 7/10/08
@frigg: Paul Allen's boat has a much cooler submarine. A 10 man submarine and a remote controlled vehicle for crawling on the ocean floor. The submarine has the capacity to sleep eight for up to two weeks underwater.
Screw the awesome yacht, I want one of those subs.
geekpi
ryusen
Posted 7:58 AM 7/10/08
sure the Boat doesn't have weapons, but i'm sure those 70 SAS guys do .p
ryusen