If there is one thing Subsim members can agree on, it's that they love submarines. U-boats, WWI paraffin boats, nuclear-powered fast attacks, Japanese I-boats, Confederate hand-cranked subs, boomers:  if it dives and surfaces, we love it. Yet, for all of us not in the Navy, submarines are like rocket ships and Formula 1 cars; we can look but we can't touch. With one exception: Peter Madsen's UC-3 Nautilus.
 

Nautilus is unique in the world as the only large scale, fully operational home-built submarine. She has made many voyages and taken many submarine enthusiasts beneath the waves. Nautilus was the centerpiece of the 2009 Subsim meeting in Copenhagen. Peter volunteered his time and spend two days showing the Subsim members how a real submarine works, taking us on dives to the bottom of the harbor. 

Peter constructed the Nautilus from his own funds, on his own time, with help from friends. Now he is putting Nautilus in for a refit, and it's time for his friends to step up and help. You can make a donation at the following page to assist with the costs of getting this historic submarine back in fighting shape.

Help us get UC3 Nautilus back in the water.

Peter has always supported Subsim: he even added a large "SUBSIM" logo to the base of the conning tower of Nautilus when she was first operational to show his support for his fellow enthusiasts. There were a few other logos on Nautilus, such as Klee, Kecon, and Rias. But those marine companies paid to advertise on Nautilus. The SUBSIM logo was a gift, a gesture of solidarity to the thousands of Subsim members around the world.

Keeping a submarine in safe working condition takes a huge amount of time and effort, and some money. Peter and his Danish volunteers expend all the effort. Wouldn't it be terrific if we enthusiasts could help with the funds needed? You can help, by making a donation toward getting UC3 Nautilus back in the water. It's fast and easy. Please join us, someday you may be able to attend a Subsim meeting and take a voyage on her.

Von Hinten's 2009 Subsim Meet report

Volunteer to be a part of the Nautilus crew!

Refit thread in Subsim forums

UC-3 Nautilus Subsim videos