17 One-Man Submarines That Will Take Your Breath Away

17 One-Man Submarines That Will Take Your Breath Away


The world got you down? Wish you could escape to somewhere calm, beautiful and quiet? No problem! Just hop into one of these amazing one-man submersibles, take a deep breath and propel yourself down into the deep blue sea. Serenity awaits.

This is the Nordenfelt I, 1884 brainchild of Swedish inventor and industrialist Thorsten Nordenfelt 1884


Picture: Wikimedia Commons


One of the two Resurgam, an early Victorian submarine designed and built in Britain by Reverend George Garrett in 1878-79. The Resurgam I was a hand-powered, one-man submersible; the Resurgam II had a three-man crew and was steam-powered.


Picture: Garrett/Henry Guttmann/Getty Images


A submarine motor car, invented by Michel Andre in 1937.


Picture: Horace Abrahams/Fox Photos/Getty Images


The Motorised Submersible Canoe (MSC) — nicknamed ‘Sleeping Beauty’ — was a British underwater reconnaissance or attack vehicle for a single frogman during World War II.


Picture: National Archives of England, Wales and the UK Government


The Biber, a German midget submarine of the German Navy during World War II, came armed with two externally mounted torpedoes.


Picture: geni/Wikimedia Commons


The Welman submarine was a WWII one-man British midget submarine developed by the Special Operations Executive, but it was not very successful.


Picture: Minewarfare & Clearance Diving Officers’ Association


This K-250 one-person submersible was designed by retired US Navy WWII submarine captain George Kittredge in the 1960s.


Picture: Steve/Flickr


Mikhail Puchkov’s homemade personal submarine made a splash in the 1980s.


Picture: Mikhail Puchkov


This is the one-man microsubmersible Mantis, designed by Graham Hawkes, British marine engineer and submarine designer. You might remember it from For Your Eyes Only.


Picture: Osel979/Wikimedia Commons


C-Quester was one of the first mass-produced personal submersibles by the Dutch U-Boat Workx. Production was discontinued in favour of multi-passengers subs.


Picture: U-Boat Workx


Newtsub Deepworker 2000, a single-person submersible by Nuytco Research.


Picture: NASA Analog/Flickr


Deep Rover, another single-person submersible by Nuytco Research.


Picture: T. Kerby/OAR/National Undersea Research Program (NURP); University of Hawaii/NOAA

The Innespace Dolphin prototype personal watercraft, which can ride on top of, leap out of, or dive under the water’s surface.


Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images


AquaVenture WaterCrafts prototype sub, 2010.


Picture: AquaVenture/Facebook


Virgin Oceanic Expeditions’ deep sea submarine, seen here in 2011, is currently still undergoing testing.


Photo: Reed Saxon/AP

James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenger made it about as far underwater as you can go.


Picture: Charlie Arneson/Deepsea Challenge Facebook


Omer 8, a human-powered submarine recently built by students of the École de technologie supérieure (School of Higher Technology) in Montreal, Quebec.


Picture: Omerets


Top picture: Mikhail Puchkov


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