History | |
---|---|
Builder | Malmari & Winberg, Finland |
Launched | Circa 1997 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement | 24 long tons (24 t) |
Length | 10.05 m (33.0 ft) |
Beam | 2.8 m (9.2 ft) |
Draught | 3.5 m (11 ft) |
Speed | |
Endurance | 96 hours with 10 persons |
Test depth | 100 m (330 ft) |
Complement | 1 pilot, 10 passengers |
The Windermere is a tourist submarine that operated on Windermere, a lake in Cumbria, England. It was delivered to the marina at Lakeside in July 1997 and began commercial operation the next month. Carrying out dives on a wreck near to the marina and also cruises further afield it carried 3,500 passengers in its first year of operations. The Windermere struggled to attract full loads of passengers in 1998, which was its last year of operation. The vessel was later operated in Mauritius and now carries out dives in Barbados.
The Windermere is a MERGO 10 submersible designed and built by Malmari & Winberg, a former subsidiary of Finnish shipbuilder Rauma-Repola. [1] The MERGO 10 vessels measured 10.05 m (33.0 ft) in length, 2.8 m (9.2 ft) in beam and 3.5 m (11 ft) in overall height. The vessels had a displacement of 24 long tons (24 t) and were capable of diving to 100 m (330 ft) depth. The MERGO 10 could carry ten passengers in addition to its pilot. [2] The Windermere had a cruising speed of 0.5 knots (0.93 km/h; 0.58 mph) and a maximum speed of 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). As well as large underwater viewports it was equipped with video cameras and powerful lights, it also had sonar. [3] It carried enough oxygen to sustain 10 people for 96 hours. [4]
A larger vessel in the series, the MERGO 50, could carry 48 passengers in addition to its 2–4 man crew. [5] The series is now produced by the South Korean small vessel manufacturer Vogo. [2]
The Windermere was delivered by crane to Lakeside marina at the southern end of Windermere in July 1997. It was the first submarine to operate on the lake and was owned by Paul and Jane Whitfield who also operated a submarine at Loch Ness, Scotland. [3] The vessel carried out a 200 feet (61 m) dive on 27 July 1997 and began commercial operation in August. [6] [4]
The pilot, Alan Whitfield, wore a blue boilersuit emblazoned with a union flag and would stand to attention on deck while passengers boarded. [4] The Windermere usually operated on short trips, lasting around an hour, to a small wreck near to the marina but it also cruised as far as the YMCA hostel, around 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) north of the marina. [4] [3] A typical cruise cost £49.50 and it carried 3,500 passengers in the 1997 season. [4] The venture proved unprofitable, perhaps due to competition from a newly opened underwater walkway at the nearby Aquatarium (now known as the Lakes Aquarium). [3] [4] The Windermere rarely carried a full complement in the 1998 season, which was its last on the lake. It afterwards saw service as a tourist vessel diving on shipwrecks in Mauritius and, as of February 2021, operated in Barbados. [4]
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. Approximately 11 miles (18 km) in length, and 1 mile (1.5 km) at its widest, it is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial period. It has been one of the country's most popular places for holidays and summer homes since the arrival of the Kendal and Windermere Railway's branch line in 1847. Forming part of the border between the historic counties of Lancashire and Westmorland, Windermere is today within the administrative county of Cumbria and the Lake District National Park.
A remotely operated underwater vehicle is a tethered underwater mobile device, also commonly called an underwater robot.
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans.
A submersible is a watercraft designed to operate underwater. The term "submersible" is often used to differentiate from other underwater vessels known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully self-sufficient craft, capable of independent cruising with its own power supply and air renewal system, whereas a submersible is usually supported by a nearby surface vessel, platform, shore team or sometimes a larger submarine. In common usage by the general public, however, the word "submarine" may be used to describe a craft that is by the technical definition actually a submersible, and by the standard meaning of the word, all submarines are submersibles.
Bowness-on-Windermere is a town in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It lies next to Windermere lake and the town of Windermere to the north east with which it forms the civil parish of Windermere and Bowness. The town was historically part of the county of Westmorland and is also forms an urban area with Windermere. The town had a population of 3,814 in the 2011 Census.
Kaikō was a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) built by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for exploration of the deep sea. Kaikō was the second of only five vessels ever to reach the bottom of the Challenger Deep, as of 2019. Between 1995 and 2003, this 10.6 ton unmanned submersible conducted more than 250 dives, collecting 350 biological species, some of which could prove to be useful in medical and industrial applications. On 29 May 2003, Kaikō was lost at sea off the coast of Shikoku Island during Typhoon Chan-Hom, when a secondary cable connecting it to its launcher at the ocean surface broke.
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:
A deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) is a type of deep-submergence vehicle used for rescue of downed submarines and clandestine missions. While DSRV is the term most often used by the United States Navy, other nations have different designations for their vehicles.
SM U-38 was a German Type U 31 U-boat which operated in the Mediterranean Sea during World War I. It ended up being the third most successful U-boat participating in the war, sinking 134 merchant ships sunk for a total of 287,811 GRT.
The steam yacht Gondola is a rebuilt Victorian, screw-propelled, steam-powered passenger vessel on Coniston Water, England. Originally launched in 1859, she was built for the steamer service carrying passengers from the Furness Railway and from the Coniston Railway. She was in commercial service until 1936 when she was retired, being converted to a houseboat in 1946. In 1979, by now derelict, she was given a new hull, engine, boiler and most of the superstructure. She is back in service as a passenger boat, still powered by steam and now operated by the National Trust.
The Motorised Submersible Canoe (MSC), nicknamed Sleeping Beauty, was built by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II as an underwater vehicle for a single frogman to perform clandestine reconnaissance or attacks against enemy vessels.
The Lakes Aquarium is an aquarium in the village of Lakeside on the southern shore of Windermere, Cumbria, England. It is one of the docking points of Windermere Lake Cruises and also at one end of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. It is the third most visited paying tourist attraction in Cumbria.
Lakeside railway station is on the heritage Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway in England. It was previously the terminus of the Furness Railway Ulverston to Lakeside Line, which was closed as part of the Beeching Axe in 1965. It serves the village of Lakeside in Cumbria, as well as the tourist attractions located there.
ABISMO is a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) built by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) for exploration of the deep sea. It is the only remaining ROV rated to 11,000-meters, ABISMO is intended to be the permanent replacement for Kaikō, a ROV that was lost at sea in 2003.
CosMoS CE2F were a series of Swimmer Delivery Vehicle (SDV) built by M/s Cos.Mo.S Spa. which was based in Livorno, Italy.
The following index is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Wikipedia's articles on recreational dive sites. The level of coverage may vary:
Windermere Lake Cruises is a boat company which provides leisure trips on Windermere in the central part of the English Lake District. It is based in Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria.
SY Tern, now operating as MY Tern, is a passenger vessel on Windermere, England. Launched in 1891 she was built for the steamer service carrying passengers from the Furness Railway. She underwent several changes in owner as companies were merged throughout the twentieth century, and spent time as a sea cadet training ship during the Second World War. Refitted several times, her original steam engines have been replaced with diesel engines. Tern is the oldest vessel operating on Windermere, and is a member of the National Historic Fleet. She is currently operated by Windermere Lake Cruises as the flagship of their fleet.
Recreational dive sites are specific places that recreational scuba divers go to enjoy the underwater environment or for training purposes. They include technical diving sites beyond the range generally accepted for recreational diving. In this context all diving done for recreational purposes is included. Professional diving tends to be done where the job is, and with the exception of diver training and leading groups of recreational divers, does not generally occur at specific sites chosen for their easy access, pleasant conditions or interesting features.
Sadko is a civilian submarine launched in 1997. She was designed by the Rubin Design Bureau, which had previously designed nuclear submarines for the Soviet and Russian navies. Capable of holding 40 passengers and diving to 40 metres (130 ft) depth Sadko is intended for use as a tourist excursion vessel. She operated initially in Saint Lucia but since 2001 has been based in Cyprus where she operates out of Larnaca.