• Minerva at the Birmingham Dive Show, NEC, Oct 22-23, 2011
  
• RACE BLOG: SeaBomb and Minerva at the 11th International Submarine Races
  
• SeaBomb and Sulis appear on The Gadget Show.

Human-powered Submarine Racing

BURST has been involved in human-powered submarine racing since 2004, when we put together our first team to design a one-man, biomimetic racing sub to compete in the International Submarine Races, held every two years in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, just outside Washington, DC. Starting from nothing, the first team got as far as building experimental rigs, including an instrumented punt, and tested a prototype biomimetic propulsion system, but never did get around to building a complete submarine. That task was completed by the second team in the spring of 2007, and their boat, the SeaBomb came second in its category in the 9th ISR that July, reaching a dizzying speed of 2.091 knots!

The third BURST team designed and built a new boat, the Sulis, which incorporated a hybrid propulsion system, combining flapping wings and propeller, for the 2009 competition. After a disappointing performance at the races, the Sulis was rebuilt, and showed her potential in a televised drag race, giving Suzy Perry and the workhorse SeaBomb a run for their money.

The 2011 team decided to take on the big boys and enter the propeller category with their all-new boat, the Minerva. Achieving speeds of 3.3kts, she came 10th, in the middle of the pack, and claimed the prize for Best Use of Composites. Not a bad finish for a first attempt at the faster division, but disappointing since the team all felt she was unable to reach her potential due to control problems. The team also rebuilt the SeaBomb, with a new hull, transmission, and automated control system, but bad luck on the starting line flooded the electronics and ruined her comeback dream.

The team are now gearing up for the new European International Submarine Races, which will take place in Gosport, England, in July 2012. On the pages below you will find information on the previous Bath boats and on the new Bath team which is now readying the SeaBomb for her comeback, upgrading the Minerva, and building a new biomimetic boat, the Ronquil to rise (sink, actually) to the challenge of the new eISR!

• BURSThp 11/12. SeaBomb, Minerva and Ronquil
• BURSThp 10/11. SeaBomb and Minerva
• BURSThp 08/09 and the Sulis
• BURSThp 06/07 and the SeaBomb
• BURSThp 04/05