submarine news stories on Newser

James Cameron's Sub Sprung Leak

Matt Cantor — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:50:05 CDT

James Cameron's trip to the world's deepest spot sounds a wee bit like something of a disappointment. The six hours he intended to spend at the bottom of the sea—filming and gathering geology samples—was cut in half when hydraulic fluid started leaking in his submersible. As for his...

The New Yachts: Private Submarines

Matt Cantor — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:00:05 CDT

These days, anyone can experience the thrill of a submarine ride—provided they've got $2 million to spare. Several companies have sprung up selling lightweight, private submarines to the wealthy: There's the Deepflight Super Falcon, built in California by Hawkes Ocean Technologies, for $1.7 million, or the SEAmagine Ocean...

Russia Dodged Nuclear Disaster in December

Matt Cantor — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:30:05 CST

When a Russian submarine caught fire in December, officials said its nuclear weapons had been removed long before the fire—but now, Russian navy insiders tell a magazine that wasn't the case. In fact, during the fire, the Yekaterinburg submarine had 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles on board, and each held...

US Team Finds Sunken WWII Sub

Rob Quinn — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:32:00 CST

The watery grave of scores of British servicemen has been found nearly 70 years after their submarine was sunk by a mine off the coast of Malta. A team from the American marine archaeology group Aurora Trust used a remotely operated vehicle to find the HMS Olympus on the floor...

Cheating Rampant in Navy's Submarine Crews: Report

Rob Quinn — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:18:21 CDT

The Navy discovered cheating so widespread among one of its nuclear submarine crews that it fired the commander of the USS Memphis and 10% of its crew, according to a report obtained by the AP . Sailors were emailed the answers before qualification exams and openly asked their officers for answer...

Feds Make Historic Cocaine Bust in Caribbean

Rob Quinn — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 04:25:38 CDT

The Coast Guard, working with FBI dive teams and the Honduran navy, has recovered 7.5 tons of cocaine worth $180 million from a drug submarine scuttled by smugglers off the coast of Honduras. The interception and seizure is the first of its kind in the Caribbean, the Miami Herald...

Branson to Pilot Sub to Deepest Spots on Earth

Rob Quinn — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 01:37:22 CDT

Billionaire adventurer Richard Branson has turned his attention to the least known part of our planet: the ocean. Branson unveiled plans yesterday to send a deep-sea submarine to five of the deepest points on Earth, reports the Los Angeles Times. Fellow adventurer Chris Welsh will pilot the craft to the...

Drug Submarine Seized in Colombia

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:21:00 CST

A submarine that aimed to ferry masses of cocaine to Mexico has been nabbed off the coast of Colombia. The 100-foot-long fiberglass vessel was found stashed in a jungle area in southwestern Colombia. The sub—big enough to carry four people and eight tons of cargo—was capable of traveling...

UK, France May Combine Nukes in Budget Move

Rob Quinn — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:03:07 CDT

Sweeping cuts to military budgets in both countries are forcing old rivals Britain and France to consider adopting history's first nuke-share program. The idea of a shared nuclear deterrent—dismissed as politically unfeasible earlier this year—will be back on the table at the annual Franco-British summit next month, according...