Submarine Cruise Survey

[Samantha]

Hi I'm Samantha.

I'm working with Neal on a college project. There are 11 people in all in the study group. We are studying the feasibility of purchasing a submarine and running it as an adventure cruise with a route between Galveston, Texas and Pensacola, Florida.
An example of how this operation would be run would be to look at the business called Sailing Ship Adventures. (http://www.sailingshipadventures.com/)It would basically would be the same sort of business except with submarines instead of ships.

To guage how much interest people would have going on a submarine cruise, I would like you to please take a quick survey at the following link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bxA_2f_2fPDsVdCHsgvSEaSjdA_3d_3d .

Thank you in advance and you are welcome to ask any questions.

[Thomen]

Hi I'm Samantha.

I'm working with Neal on a college project. There are 11 people in all in the study group. We are studying the feasibility of purchasing a submarine and running it as an adventure cruise with a route between Galveston, Texas and Pensacola, Florida.
An example of how this operation would be run would be to look at the business called Sailing Ship Adventures. (http://www.sailingshipadventures.com/)It would basically would be the same sort of business except with submarines instead of ships.

To guage how much interest people would have going on a submarine cruise, I would like you to please take a quick survey at the following link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bxA_2f_2fPDsVdCHsgvSEaSjdA_3d_3d .

Thank you in advance and you are welcome to ask any questions.

Interesting idea.. :hmmm:

[FIREWALL]

Welcome Aboard Sam :salute:

As this is a survey. If you knew what it costs just for upkeep and to fly a WWII combat Fighter or Bomber for that matter you will quickly see why Subs for for a Cruise business is a poor proposition.

The Concorde failed for a reason. Ungodly high operational costs. :haha:

Forgeting the initial cost for a working Sub.

The costs to make it Coast Guard\Maritime certified and the same for the crew and then the biggy... Liability insurance would be staggering.

For the cost of a ticket one could buy their own yacht and cruise themselves.

I fear this enterprise would sink faster than a cardboard Submarine. :DL

[Onkel Neal]

We're not talking about building the Concorde, it's more along the lines of using a sub like UC3 Nautlius.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/2546299602_07dd589bc9.jpg?v=0

[Kapt Z]

Sounds great in theory......:yeah:

Just doubt it could be feasible in the real world.:nope:

[FIREWALL]

Simple math then. Still take the cost of to make it Coast Guard\Maritime certified and the same for the crew and then the biggy... Liability insurance would be staggering.

Then divide that by how many passengers it will hold.

Btw . How many miles is it from Galvesto to Pensacola ?

As the crow flys. :DL

[Etienne]

Coast guard cert isn't that big of a deal, probably. Don't know what's the SOLAS / USCG regs on subs, tho... If there are any. And operating in the gulf means there's a lot of countries in easy reach, so it'd be pretty easy to do international cruise. Translation: Funny flag on the stern, everybody saves.

The hard thing would be to work out a crew / passenger ratio - Those cones aren't going to be able to do much to move the boat around, and every berth you put a crewmember in is a berth that's not making money.

Don't see any obvious reasons it woudln't work, tho. You guys taking resumes?

[Onkel Neal]

Don't see any obvious reasons it woudln't work, tho. You guys taking resumes?

One of these days... I'm going to surprise a lot of people ;)

[UnderseaLcpl]

Sounds cool. I'd be willing to invest, even if I couldn't make the cut for the crew. :salute:

[nikimcbee]

I want to be a cook or work in the torpedo room.:salute:

Will a simulated depth-charge attack be part of the package?
Will a dutchman be in-charge of the dive alarm?:D
While on patrol, will I still be able to post in the GT forum?

Will we re-enact the "dancing scene" from Das Boot?:03:

[nikimcbee]

Sample menu:

Breakfast: "Kpt. Lehmann's sliding door" pancakes;)
Torpedo Juice:03: aka OJ
Bungo Pete's sausage patties


Lunch:
Jimbuna spam sandwiches on rye
"almost just as good as Neal's mom makes" banana pudding:D
Chocolate u-boat special cocktail
Torplexed jiggly jello surprise.:hmmm:

Dinner:
Frozen Casa Ole take-out
"Almost as good as neal's Dad's" BBQ steak
Fresh fruit from the SS Weser
Chocolate "depth-charge" ding-dongs
General Forum fruit-loop punch

Nightwatch:
Rabbit bread and coctail weenies

[TarJak]

Hey Niki! You forgot the beer! Passengers only. No drinking for the crew unfortunatley.:D

[GoldenRivet]

Hi Samantha and welcome!

I would worry about underwater visibility around Galveston. :haha:

[Jimbuna]

Sounds like a great scam/idea :DL

I'd certainly be interested....but I'd like Neals mom to do the cooking :yeah:

[Kapitan_Phillips]

One of these days... I'm going to surprise a lot of people ;)

*narrows eyes* First the submarine naming thread and now this.


Something is fishy around here. Fishier than an Icelandic fish market in the early morning, well stocked with fish by a man named Jorg. :hmmm:

I'm a fast learner, and am a pretty good cook. I'm not putting on a grass skirt and oranges though.

Will we have to have crab inspections? D:

[Oberon]

Bags me the sonar room.

"...Coast guard boat at 010 approaching fast, moving left..."

[mookiemookie]

Do we all get drunk the night before the cruise and take a whizz on someone's car?



Uh...not like I've ever done that before...nope....never.... :shifty:

[nikimcbee]

Sounds like a great scam/idea :DL

I'd certainly be interested....but I'd like Neals mom to do the cooking :yeah:
Jim, you hurt my feelings..:wah:

[AVGWarhawk]

All, this is not such a far fetch idea. Many people group together and purchase schooners for week long sailing around the Caribbean. In fact, one fella I work with on the Torsk is doing just that with other investors. Millions of dollars to purchase and refurb.

Submarine? Sure, why not. Folks take tallship cruises and actually become part of the crew for a week. This is something new and different.

[Kapitan_Phillips]

So who's gonna drink the U-Boat special cocktail? :DL

[Onkel Neal]

One thing to keep in mind, for most of the trip, the sub will be surfaced and behave just like a power sailboat or schooner. The dives would be carefully scripted events (no crash dives, sorry) in shallow water (less than 100 feet) where there are no rigs, traffic, or potential obstructions (as well as can be determined).

The main concerns for surface travel would be traffic, unlighted rigs, and draft. That is not much different from the thousands of power sailboats (http://sea-trek.blogspot.com/search/label/0001.%20On%20The%20Road%20Again%20Texas%20to%20Sou th%20Carolina)(coasters) who spend their time in the ICWW and Gulf here.

Far-fetched? Well, many thought a viable homebuilt submarine was far-fetched but Peter Madsen proved that wrong. That sub exists, works, and did not cost millions to build. It is not a military sub but it's very capable for transiting navigable waterways. There are issues over licensing, etc. But it is do-able.

Please fill out the survey. (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bxA_2f_2fPDsVdCHsgvSEaSjdA_3d_3d)We need responses for the project :salute:

Neal

[NealT]

Sample menu:

Breakfast: "Kpt. Lehmann's sliding door" pancakes;)
Torpedo Juice:03: aka OJ
Bungo Pete's sausage patties


Lunch:
Jimbuna spam sandwiches on rye
"almost just as good as Neal's mom makes" banana pudding:D
Chocolate u-boat special cocktail
Torplexed jiggly jello surprise.:hmmm:

Dinner:
Frozen Casa Ole take-out
"Almost as good as neal's Dad's" BBQ steak
Fresh fruit from the SS Weser
Chocolate "depth-charge" ding-dongs
General Forum fruit-loop punch

Nightwatch:
Rabbit bread and coctail weenies

I don't think that "Standup Comic" was one of the things they were looking for...

:har::har:

[Frame57]

I want to be the crazy engineman who goes berzerk when we get depth charged. Neal you have permission to shoot me when this happens:woot:

[Oberon]

We can follow one of the USNs boats out, see if we can track a 688i :haha::har:

Come to think of it, the USN wants to practice tracking Diesel boats, we can be their bait...see how many Nimitz's we can sink :yeah:

[Jimbuna]

So who would be in charge of 'the head' :hmmm:

Would it even have one? :o

Niki me old mate.....I think I've found an opening for ya :DL

[Kapitan_Phillips]

I wouldnt mind being that crazy Bosun. "Incase you didnt know, its an alarm! This isnt a pleasure cruise!"

[Etienne]

The main concerns for surface travel would be traffic, unlighted rigs, and draft. That is not much different from the thousands of power sailboats (http://sea-trek.blogspot.com/search/label/0001.%20On%20The%20Road%20Again%20Texas%20to%20Sou th%20Carolina)(coasters) who spend their time in the ICWW and Gulf here.

RADAR, ARPA, AIS, ECDIS, NAVTEX.

Another problem solved by the alphabet! :rotfl:

Oberon might have a point, there... The navy might be interested in chartering the sub for training exercises - That could pay the bills during Get Out of the Caribbeans Season.

You're also going to need an "Internet Café" type thing for DW and SH LAN games. :rock:

EDIT: I had an idea on simulating torpedo attacks:

In the mess room / some other out of the way place, set up an AIS or RADAR/ARPA repeater. AIS might be easier. (Just run an extra screen off the chart system. It's relatively simple to do.)

Once the contact is detected / somebody decides to attack, the "arbiter" or "Game Master" or whatever you want to call him fires up the SHIV mission editor (Or DW, or something else) and create a mission. He's got the target's true course, speed and relative position, so he can quickly set up a scenario matching the condition.

As the crew, the guests or whoever come up with a firing solution, he enters that into the sim, and essentially mimick the crew's actions.

If somebody ****ed up the solution, it's gonna miss in the sim. If they got it right, the sim's going to report a hit.

At that point, the arbiter flicks the switch that controls the gigantic sub woofers installed under the floor boards :-D

Obviously, it's not going to be very satisfying to whoever's looking through the scope, but there would probably be a way to hook a training system into the sonar and... Yeah. (Although if the ship's an accomplice, some corner store fireworks and one of those movie studio water cannon...)

I have way too much thinking time on my hands. That WOULD be sort of awesome, tho.

[Kapitan_Phillips]

We can follow one of the USNs boats out, see if we can track a 688i :haha::har:

Come to think of it, the USN wants to practice tracking Diesel boats, we can be their bait...see how many Nimitz's we can sink :yeah:

Like Lieutenant Thomas Dodge :D

"Well, what do you think of your new boat Dodge"
"Well its a complete piece of... antiquated equipment, sir"

[Arclight]

Seems like the wrong place to do market research; doubt you will get many negative responses around here. Something fishy indeed. :hmmm:

Neal, if you need a hand, I'll move to the US in a heartbeat. Even if it's just for scraping stuff off the hull, wouldn't miss it for the world. :salute:

Btw: signed my real name. Was suposed to, right? :06:

[Onkel Neal]

Thanks, arclight. :salute:

Right now, I need a hand motivating people to do the 5 question survey! :wah:

[Kapitan_Phillips]

*loads single action army*

:stare: Get and do it people, ya hear!!

[Jimbuna]

*loads single action army*

:stare: Get and do it people, ya hear!!

Hey Spock.....where you gonna find ten men in a hurry http://www.spreadtheiris.com/images/smilies/smacka.gif







http://imgcash4.imageshack.us/img144/3336/tonguecm5.gif

[TDK1044]

You'd have more success at selling this idea as a weekend getaway rather than a one week vacation.

Most women (girlfriends/wives) think that this is all 'boys with toys' stuff and they find it really boring. So I think for a married man, in most cases this idea is a non starter unless the wife gets a weekend getaway of her choice as well.

As in most families it's tough enough planning and paying for one vacation, the chances of planning and paying for two.....one for him and one for her....is highly unlikely. In most cases, I think that both of the individual 'getaways' would disappear and be replaced by one conventional shared vacation.

So the question then becomes, are there enough single/divorced guys out there who are interested enough in the idea and who can afford it?

I hope so, but I doubt it.

[Arclight]

Right now, I need a hand motivating people to do the 5 question survey! :wah:You should have offered free lollipops. :D

Or perhaps a nice medal. :yep:
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj2/EZatHome/surveybadge.jpghttp://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj2/EZatHome/surveybadge-1.png

[Gorduz]

I did a subcruise on Tenerife 15 years ago, I'm not sure wether they are still running, but aperantly it has been tried. My most memorable moment was when we saw a stingray that was cool.

[Jimbuna]

I must be an exception to the rule and condider myself extremely fortunate to boot.

I attended the Texas SS Meet last Oct and my wife and daughter had a week in Philadelphia and New York a fortnight ago (Irish World Championships).

Granted, two separate trips meant sacrificing the family holiday.....but both parties/camps got what their preferences/priorities called for.

The only bit that worries me is the underwater (even at 100 feet max) bit :hmmm:

[Oberon]

I know the other half would be, perhaps a little uncomfortable at first because of the enclosed spaces, but once she'd gotten used to that, she'd probably quite enjoy it :up:
I'm going to take her to HMS Ocelot some time, so she can have a look around a real sub, she seems to quite enjoy the military stuff, or at least is good at pretending because she's been dragged to the RAF Museum twice and the Imperial War Museum. :yeah:

[Etienne]

Maybe if they get a "Tender" that is in fact a more traditionnal cruise ship (Albeit a small one), with masseuses, alcohol, pools and the like, and stuff the wives and kids on that.

Then you can have the sub meet that boat in a pretty tropical cove somewhere, have a beach party or whatever. Or switch the crews from sub to ship after a few days... The possibillities are endless.

Of course, that would have a couple millions to the required investments, but hey! :har:

[TLAM Strike]

Instend of building a sub why not buy and existing one that has been decomissioned?

Submarines for sale:

Name: Project 877 or 636 class (NATO: Kilo class)
Country of Origin: Russia
Pros: Highly capable boat. Highly automated.
Cons: High cost. Large size.
Cost: 300 Million USD

Name: Project 865 class (NATO: Losos class)
Country of Origin: Russia (Via Russian Mob! No BS!!)
Pros: Recent design.
Cons: Poorly maintained for the past 2 decades.
Cost: ???

Name: Project 613 class (NATO: Whiskey class)
Country of Origin: Russia Via Ebay
Pros: Actually for sale to private owners.
Cons: Operational condition questionable. Probable death trap. Few spares.
Cost: ???

Name: GUPPY class (Hai Pao, Hai Sha)
Country of Origin: United States via Taiwan or others
Pros: Well known systems. Many former crew members in US
Cons: Very old. Few spares. Operational condition questionable. Probable death trap.
Cost: ???

Name: Agosta class
Country of Origin: France
Pros: Not very old. Of western design.
Cons: high cost.
Cost: 250 Million USD

Name: Daphne class
Country of Origin: France (Pakistan, Portugal, Spain and South Africa also may sell units)
Pros: Small size = low operating costs.
Cons: Old design with questionable safety record
Cost: ???

Name: Sava class
Country of Origin: Former Yugoslavia
Pros:
Cons: Operational condition questionable. Few spare parts available.
Cost: ???

Name: Una (Velbit) class Midget Submarine
Country of Origin: Former Yugoslavia (Croatia and Slovenia have units for sale) visit www.aalan.hr
Pros:
Cons: Electric propulsion only except in Velebit which has a diesel engine.
Cost: ???

Name: Oberon Class
Country of Origin: UK
Pros: Recently retired from 2nd owners. Plenty of former crew members available in UK, Canada and Aus.
Cons: Hulls are old. Spares a problem.
Cost: ???

[Kapitan_Phillips]

Maybe if they get a "Tender" that is in fact a more traditionnal cruise ship (Albeit a small one), with masseuses, alcohol, pools and the like, and stuff the wives and kids on that.

Then you can have the sub meet that boat in a pretty tropical cove somewhere, have a beach party or whatever. Or switch the crews from sub to ship after a few days... The possibillities are endless.

Of course, that would have a couple millions to the required investments, but hey! :har:


Could also do LARPs or a fan made submarine movie ;)

[Onkel Neal]

link?

Instend of building a sub why not buy and existing one that has been decomissioned?

Submarines for sale:

Name: Project 877 or 636 class (NATO: Kilo class)
Country of Origin: Russia
Pros: Highly capable boat. Highly automated.
Cons: High cost. Large size.
Cost: 300 Million USD

Name: Project 865 class (NATO: Losos class)
Country of Origin: Russia (Via Russian Mob! No BS!!)
Pros: Recent design.
Cons: Poorly maintained for the past 2 decades.
Cost: ???

Name: Project 613 class (NATO: Whiskey class)
Country of Origin: Russia Via Ebay
Pros: Actually for sale to private owners.
Cons: Operational condition questionable. Probable death trap. Few spares.
Cost: ???

Name: GUPPY class (Hai Pao, Hai Sha)
Country of Origin: United States via Taiwan or others
Pros: Well known systems. Many former crew members in US
Cons: Very old. Few spares. Operational condition questionable. Probable death trap.
Cost: ???

Name: Agosta class
Country of Origin: France
Pros: Not very old. Of western design.
Cons: high cost.
Cost: 250 Million USD

Name: Daphne class
Country of Origin: France (Pakistan, Portugal, Spain and South Africa also may sell units)
Pros: Small size = low operating costs.
Cons: Old design with questionable safety record
Cost: ???

Name: Sava class
Country of Origin: Former Yugoslavia
Pros:
Cons: Operational condition questionable. Few spare parts available.
Cost: ???

Name: Una (Velbit) class Midget Submarine
Country of Origin: Former Yugoslavia (Croatia and Slovenia have units for sale) visit www.aalan.hr (http://www.aalan.hr)
Pros:
Cons: Electric propulsion only except in Velebit which has a diesel engine.
Cost: ???

Name: Oberon Class
Country of Origin: UK
Pros: Recently retired from 2nd owners. Plenty of former crew members available in UK, Canada and Aus.
Cons: Hulls are old. Spares a problem.
Cost: ???

[Samantha]

I just want to say thank you for all the replies and input

[Jimbuna]

I just want to say thank you for all the replies and input

So when do you want me to start :DL