Watch competitors race 'streamlined underwater bicycles' in 'gruelling' Gosport competition
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
Races took place at a historic water basin used to test military and commercial vessels
“Streamlined underwater bicycles” built were raced across a water slalom course in Gosport.
Student teams from across the world flocked to The Ocean Basin at QinetiQ’s Haslar Marine Technology Park for a series of “gruelling” races. They were competing in the biennial European International Submarine Races (eISR).
Race director William McGill said: “They’re racing streamlined underwater bicycles. Students have been working on these for nearly two years, and they’ve brought them here for the competition to race these machines. It’s a unique event.
“We have an alternating league of two world championships and this is the world cup of submarine racing. It’s an engineering competition and they started last July to build and design their boats for racing.”
Students designed and built their own submersibles from scratch. They’re designed in such a way the pilot uses scuba equipment and propels them forward using pedals.
A total of 12 teams from eight different nations were hosted, with competitors hailing from Southampton and as far as Montreal, Canada. Teams competed for the Hill Trophy, named after Sir Bob Hill, Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy, who was one of the founders and Head Judge of the eISR.
Mr McGill said: “The competition gets harder every day, with the course and the slalom getting harder and harder. The last step is for them to get round the course twice, they love it because it turns into a gruelling underwater sport.”
Team Omer 14, from Canada, took home the crown after winning several races. Their submersible reached a top speed of 6.36 knots. Team member Juliet said: “In such a short time, I learned so much and I use these skills in my everyday life today. This makes everything about the submarine and the team so cool and exciting. We’re a big family.”