By Andrew Bedggood
The Nemo is the lightest and smallest submersible ever produced and has been recognized for design excellence, winning the 2020 Red Dot Award.
It is designed to accommodate a pilot and one passenger who can perform their tasks, or just enjoy the scenery, in air-conditioned comfort at depths up to 100 metres (330 feet).
This state-of-the-art piloted submersible was designed by a dedicated team of experienced specialist engineers and technicians at U-Boat Worx, which is a leading manufacturer of submersibles, based in Breda in the Netherlands.
Personal users can enjoy exploring the underwater world in comfort and safety, while professional users like historians, archaeologists (think Indiana Jones), photographers, salvage firms, and so on, could explore shipwrecks and other sunken treasures, and marine biologists, for example, could study marine life and search for new species.
The neat personal submarine has a low profile, being only 1.55 metres high and, with a footprint similar to two jetskis, 2.80 metres length and 2.31 metres width, can easily be towed on a trailer.
Quite versatile, this lightweight submersible, weighing only 2500 kg, sits comfortably on a flat surface, so it can rest on a dock or the deck of a larger vessel, and can be launched from land, a boat ramp – or a yacht.
Powered by four quiet electric thrusters It can travel at up to 3 knots underwater and it is a simple matter to hover the Nemo near any object of interest, or to maintain position, even in strong currents, while descending to the seabed.
Nemo pilots can use two universal controllers to operate the submersible:
1) the intuitive MANTA Controller, which is used for precision manoeuvring, accessing intelligent pilot assistance functions like Auto-heading and Auto-depth, and
2) the MARLIN Controller, which is a wireless remote that can be used to navigate the submersible on the surface to make pilotless launch and recovery simpler.
While specialist vessels from other manufacturers are made to order, with lengthy waiting lists, Nemo submarines are series produced so that, when you get the urge to own a Nemo, it can be supplied relatively quickly.
Prices begin at just under €1 million (ex. VAT).
Published in print July-September 2022
