Man in a can: homemade submarine passes sea trials

By Giang Chinh July 4, 2016 | 08:28 pm PT

The inventor has plans to upgrade his mini-sub so it can run on stealth mode.

Vietnam’s first mini-submarine was taken on a test run at sea for the first time on July 3 and successfully passed technical standards set by the Ministry of National Defense, Nguyen Quoc Hoa, the inventor from Thai Binh Province said.

The trial lasted for three hours and a panel from the Ministry of National Defense was there to assess the performance of the submarine. It was accompanied by a naval vessel as it was launched.

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The mini-submatine went on a trial run on July 3. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Chinh

The submarine is named the Hoang Sa (the Paracel Islands in the country’s northeast waters).

The inventor said he plans to build a more advanced submarine in the future equipped with air-independent propulsion, a technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen. This technology is expected to enhance the subs stealth operations.

According to the businessman, the mini-submarine was tested dozens of times before the go-ahead was given for a trial-run at sea. The Hoang Sa successfully passed a two-day test under the close supervision of the Ministry of National Defense during which it was put through its paces on the surface, underwater and in a crash situation.

In 2014, Nguyen Quoc Hoa, director of Quoc Hoa Mechanical Engineering Company in Thai Binh City, announced he had invented a mini submarine named the Truong Sa (Spratly Islands).

While waiting for a license for trial runs for the Truong Sa in 2015, Hoa and his co-workers were busy working on the Hoang Sa.

The Hoang Sa mini-sub is made of steel. It has a displacement of 9 tons and is 7 meters long and 2.5 meters wide. It is capable of running at a maximum speed of 15 nautical miles per hour and diving to a depth of 50 meters. The mini-submarine can operate underwater for three consecutive days and nights and can carry two people.

The Truong Sa is about 9 meters long and 3 meters wide, and has a displacement of 12 tons when submerged and 9.2 tons on the surface.