More subs

More submarine pictures at Loch Ness

Here are some more pictures of the "Loch Ness Submarine" which operated here in 1994 and 1995. Its commercial dives were based at the Clansman Hotel marina, and up to five passsengers per trip were ferried out to the middle of the loch, where they transferred to the sub, climbed down the ladder in the conning tower, and took their seats for the dive.

Here the sub is seen on its arrival at the Official Loch Ness Monster Exhibition. It was repainted more than once to reflect sponsor's requirements. The large forward viewing dome and lights are clearly visible, together with the lateral and aft thrusters.

This is the first view that passengers got as they approached the sub from the Clansman Marina aboard the support vessel. It tied up alongside the sub and the passengers then stepped, sometimes thoughtfully, between boat and submarine, climbed through the open hatch on the conning tower, and took their seats inside. If the water had been perfectly clear, and they could have seen the bottom some 200 metres ( 660 feet) below them, they might have reacted differently to the transfer!

This is the view from the aft ( rear) compartment, looking forwards. Out of sight, below the field of view, is a large viewing window set in the floor of the compartment, making it resemble a glass-bottomed boat. The view forwards is through the original hatchway linking this, the divers compartment, with the other - "drivers" - area. The legs belong to the pilot, who is standing on the ladder up to the conning tower. From there, he can see where he is going while the sub is at the surface. The dark tub contains sodium hydroxide..."soda lime"...which is used to absorb carbon dioxide from the subs atmosphere.

This view is from just aft of the conning tower, looking forwards during a dive. Apart from the very front, the entire right hand side of the crew space is taken up with equipment racks, while the seats are on the left.

The submarine's pilot, left and a passenger, right, enjoy the view through the dome window to the loch bed beyond. A magnetic compass is visible at the bottom centre of the picture, and outside the window the manipulator and sounding probe can be seen. The rectangular object attached to a cable is the control panel used by the pilot to navigate the vessel. When on ther surface, this unit is taken up to the conning tower.

On the surface, with the internal lights off, this is the view from the front window.

When operating from Temple Pier, with its limited water depth, the sub required an elevating pontoon to facilitate routine maintenance. In deep water, the sub was floated into the gap between the twin hulls, and the submerged platform was then jacked up to lift the sub clear of the water. The combined arrangement was then towed in to the shallows at Temple Pier by the tug "Precise", on permanent stand-by.

The scaffolding allowed tarpaulins to cover the sub to create a dry workspace during inclement weather.

It wasn't always red inside the sub. This flash photo shows it was actually white with blue seats and carpets!

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