S101

S101 was our first submarine.  Launched in 1986, the Marlin Submarines S101 was influenced by our chief designer's experience of military submarines.

Highly streamlined and fitted with an effective diesel electric propulsion system, the performance was impressive for such a small craft.  With all the machinery on the inside of the pressure hull to ease maintenance, S101 was operated from a marina berth in Plymouth Sound.

At the forward end the hull is fitted a spherical sector viewport for the pilot, who controls the sub in a prone position. The co-pilot is seated in the conning tower, the acrylic section  providing a 300° view. Abaft the tower is a 550 litre internal ballast tank, behind which is the 72V DC battery. In the tail are the Perkins 3 cylinder diesel, the electric propulsion motor and the high pressure air compressor. The battery is charged by an onboard automatic charger which can be powered by the diesel driven 240V alternator or a shore supply.

The surface speed of 7 knots, high for an 8 metre 5 tonnne boat, produced a wide operating radius and the dived performance continually outstripped the 0.54 nautical mile range of the 47kHz telephone.  Although the battery was small at 10kWh, frequent charging on the surface whilst underway prevented it from ever being exhausted.

At this time the Swedish Navy were being troubled by Soviet midget submarine incursions into their sensitive naval bases.  Current detection techniques were unable to locate these sophisticated craft and so a decision was taken by the Navy to embark on a development program aimed specifically at locating and tracking midget submarines.  The Navy attempted to lease a suitable target sub but was unable to find anything to match the speed, mobility and silence of the Russians, until they tried S101. Through an independent diving company, S101 was tested and found to have remarkable range and speed.  The Swedish submarine pilots remarked that no matter which direction the submarine was pointed, there always seemed to be a following current.

S101 was operated for a period by the Sea Shepherds conservation society and is now sporting a black and white 'Orca' paint scheme and is operated in Lake Washington by its present owner, Ellis Adams.

S101 Update

S101 is currently for sale at a price of £250,000. Contact us for more details.