Maltese Falcon Submarine Test - YachtPals Exclusive

San Francisco Bay - With the Maltese Falcon anchored in the distance, its owner Tom Perkins was across the bay looking at an entirely different vessel:  his new private submarine, which was about to be tested.  At the Docks outside the Bay Area design facility of Hawkes Ocean Technologies (known for its Deep Flight performance submarines, including Deep Flight Challenger, built for adventurer Steve Fossett to dive the Mariana Trench), a strange underwater craft emerged from a basement lair, and YachtPals was there for exclusive coverage of the test dive. 

Even on the trailer, one is struck by how much the submarine looks like a jet aircraft in many respects, and there's a good reason for that.  Submarine design pioneer Graham Hawkes developed this craft for performance, and this isn't some boring bathysphere.  As the name of the Deep Flight designs suggest, this is underwater flying, and Tom Perkins' new submarine may very well be the coolest toy in the world.

It's easy to get a boat to sink by itself.  The obvious key to good submarine design is that the boat also be able to un-sink by itself.  With the Hawkes Ocean Technologies team's reputation on the line, and the owner present and involved, the submersible was carefully prepared for the slings, and slowly lowered to the water.  After some fiddling with ballast and trim - fine-tuned with diver's lead shot - it was time for the test dive.  She floats well, but would she sink, and then float again?

The atmosphere was tense, with everyone fully focused, including Perkins himself.  If you are considering diving to a depth of 400 feet in a custom, one-off submarine, it's a good idea to be involved in the development.  Chief Engineer Graham Hawkes, who holds the record for the deepest solo dive (3,000 feet on his Deep Rover submersible), was piloting the craft, and gave the final go-ahead: "Dive! Dive! Dive!" crackled over the comm line. 

The small crowd of designers was silent as the vessel gently slid below the surface of the water, and all held their breath as it disappeared beneath the murky brine.  Moments passed slowly, with only a diver marking the machine's position while all waited. And then, slowly, the submarine reappeared - to cheers, and two-thumbs-up from grinning owner Tom Perkins. While testing and refinement will continue, the main issue is confirmed:  It works - Test Successful!

You'll notice that the submarine doesn't have a name.  The project name has been Deep Flight Super Falcon, and when we asked, Perkins said he wasn't sure it needed a name, but invited us to come up with suggestions.  Hey, we'll take a shot, and invite you to do the same in the comments below.  Hmmm, the submarine for the Maltese Falcon...  Well, the only under water diving "falcon" is the Osprey (it can close its nostrils), Pandion haliaetus is the scientific name.  So how about the Pandion?

There are only 82 shopping days left to add a Deep Flight to your Christmas list; have you been good this year?

 - By K. Hampton and B. Hampton exclusively for YachtPals.com

Video of the Maltese Falcon Submarine dive test - click on the player button to view in full screen.

Maltese Falcon Submarine Specifications

Made of super-strong carbon fiber, the Maltese Falcon Submersible's pressure hull encloses two cockpits, each with controls and instrumentation, seating occupants in a recumbent position. The cockpits' bubble hatches offer 360 degree viewing for both submariners, and their thick lens-like appearance visually disappears under water.  Like a modern airplane, control is “finger tip, fly by wire” for pitch, roll, and yaw, and various control modes enable single pilot control from either cockpit, or combined control for training.

Maltese Falcon Submersible Dimensions and Weight:

• Width: - Wings deployed: 3.0m
•          - Wings folded (storage width): 1.4m
• Height: 1.6m
• LOA: 6.0m
• Launch Weight: 1,818kg
• Payload: 230 Kg (2 persons)

Maltese Falcon Submersible Performance:

• Max Descent Rate: 200 ft/min
• Max Ascent Rate: 400 feet/minute
• Number one hour dives/day: 4 (typical)
• Cruise Speed 2-6 knots
• Cruise Range @ 5 knots: 25 nautical miles
• Maximum Thrust: 508lbs, 231Kg
• Pitch/Roll (normal piloting range): +/- 30 degrees
• Life Support duration: TBA 24 -72 hrs
• Batteries:  7kWh Lithium Phosphate @ 48V

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