Home-made submarine by a Chinese man ~ Weird and wonderful news library

Tao Xiangli, a Chinese labourer with only a basic school education, made the 1.6 tonnes submarine mostly from metal barrels and improvised parts by hand.

"Metal barrels are possibly the best material for me because of their low cost," said Tao, a migrant worker in Beijing.

The 20ft submarine is cramped inside with room for only one person but it features pressure metres, monitoring cameras, a TV set, oxygen supply and headlights.

"Although the equipment is simple, it's enough for a basic submarine, and more importantly, it enables the passenger to see things clearly underwater," said Tao.

It is a fully functional submarine, which has a periscope, depth control tanks, electric motors, manometer, and two propellers, from old oil barrels and tools which he bought at a second-hand market. He took 2 years to invent and test the submarine which costs 30,000 yuan (US$4,385).

"The devices for submarines are all expensive, so because I couldn't afford them I found a lot of inexpensive replacements," he said.

Tao said the basic submarine cost him £2,200, the equivalent of a year's pay.

Tao is now in the final phase of debugging the submarine and hopes it will make its maiden voyage within the next week in Beijing. He says it can dive to a maximum depth of 10 meters, and should be quite safe.

Although he has only an elementary school education, Tao owns 17 patents, including a head massager, a washing machine and a shoe polisher.

Home-made submarine invented by a Chinese man

Other home-made submarines

Homemade submarine from Russia in year 2006

This Russian man from St. Petersburg got his personal submarine. He built it himself and it is the smallest submarine in Russia, officially registered as a boat by Russian boat registry and has got it’s own personal name and number.

He can make an underwater trip from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, Finland and back without stops, and he can go as fast as four knots.

Home made submarine from Lithuania

Jonas Velzys the Lithuanian submarine enthusiast has worked for more than 30 years on his life dream to build a submarine. This video is about one of his first tests organized together with Klaipeda Science and Technology Park.

Jacques Cousteau’s Great White Shark Submarine

After "swallowing" ocean explorer Fabien CousteauJacques's grandsonthe 14-foot (4.3-meter) shark-shaped submarine Troy is lowered from a ship into waters off Isla de Guadalupe in Baja California, Mexico.