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August 9, 2007, 13:20
Russian dives in self-made sub
Forget fancy cars or even big yachts - if you really want to stand out from the crowd in Russia, you need your very own submarine. And if you can't afford to buy one, then build one. That's what one St. Petersburg resident has done - and for him it has been a labour of love.
It may not be the most conventional means of transport, but Mikhail Puchkov doesn't mind.
An engineer, he began working to make his childhood dream come true over 20 years ago. He wanted to be like Captain Nemo and his team onboard the Nautilus ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea’.
The submarine’s size is around that of an average car and its interior fits only two people. Its first destination is the bottom of the Neva.
Despite the fact that the sub is still due for its first trip it has already given its owner several adventures. While being lowered into the water, the cables snapped and Mikhail, while trying to catch it, broke his arm. But even that didn't stop him - after being treated at the scene, he crawled back inside his creation.
Their first adventures together began in the 1980s. While building the first model of the ship, Mikhail kept it a secret, working on it in his attic out of fear of Soviet authorities.
But while he was testing it in the Neva, the sub got tangled in some nets. Mikhail was caught by the KGB - he says he feared being accused of spying, and for his life. His run-in with authorities, though, was not as scary as he had thought. Mikhail was released after several days.
“They advised me to go to a Ship Construction Institute. That's where I studied,†recalls Mikhail.
Mikhail never found a job in his specialty but the hobby was there for life.
He has spent nearly 10 years and around $ US 20,000 creating this model. The only things left of the first attempt are the bow and part of the stern. Now the submarine has GPS, a compass and a depth measurer.
Next, Mikhail has plans to go to the Gulf of Finland. But he says he won't be taking an underwater trip around the world - it's cruising range is only 200 miles.
Russian dives in self-made sub
Forget fancy cars or even big yachts - if you really want to stand out from the crowd in Russia, you need your very own submarine. And if you can't afford to buy one, then build one. That's what one St. Petersburg resident has done - and for him it has been a labour of love.
It may not be the most conventional means of transport, but Mikhail Puchkov doesn't mind.
An engineer, he began working to make his childhood dream come true over 20 years ago. He wanted to be like Captain Nemo and his team onboard the Nautilus ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea’.
The submarine’s size is around that of an average car and its interior fits only two people. Its first destination is the bottom of the Neva.
Despite the fact that the sub is still due for its first trip it has already given its owner several adventures. While being lowered into the water, the cables snapped and Mikhail, while trying to catch it, broke his arm. But even that didn't stop him - after being treated at the scene, he crawled back inside his creation.
Their first adventures together began in the 1980s. While building the first model of the ship, Mikhail kept it a secret, working on it in his attic out of fear of Soviet authorities.
But while he was testing it in the Neva, the sub got tangled in some nets. Mikhail was caught by the KGB - he says he feared being accused of spying, and for his life. His run-in with authorities, though, was not as scary as he had thought. Mikhail was released after several days.
“They advised me to go to a Ship Construction Institute. That's where I studied,†recalls Mikhail.
Mikhail never found a job in his specialty but the hobby was there for life.
He has spent nearly 10 years and around $ US 20,000 creating this model. The only things left of the first attempt are the bow and part of the stern. Now the submarine has GPS, a compass and a depth measurer.
Next, Mikhail has plans to go to the Gulf of Finland. But he says he won't be taking an underwater trip around the world - it's cruising range is only 200 miles.