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Human Powered Submarine Racing

Human powered submarines waiting their turn on the "beach" at the International Submarine Races 15. (Center) The University of Michigan HPS team and their submarine Bluefin.

Human Powered Submarine (HPS) Racing is an engineering design competition that has students design, build, and race a fully-flooded human powered submarines. The main goals of the competition are to spur innovation and experience within the Marine Engineering field. The first competition was held off the coast of Riviera Beach, Florida in 1989. Since then, the annual competition has expanded to include teams from across the world, and is held at the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center outside of Washington, DC and QinetiQ’s Ocean Basin facility in Gosport, England on an alternating schedule.

Brief History of Human Powered Submarines

While the widespread application of submarines is a relatively new concept, the development of submersible vehicles can trace its origins to the mid 16th century. These early designs predated the adoption of the combustion engines and relied solely on humans to provide power to the vehicles.

William Bourne's Submarine Theory

This is a diagram of the submarine that William Bourne envisioned in his book, Inventions or Devices.

William Bourne, a 16th century British Mathematician and former Royal Navy gunner, wrote many books and manuals on naval warfare and development. In his Inventions or Devices, published in 1578, there is a short chapter that postulates the idea of making a submersible. Bourne states that, "it is possible to make a Ship or a Boat that may go under the water into the bottom, and so to come up again at your pleasure,". He then explains how one could create a boat that could withstand the water pressure and control its depth through rudimentary ballasts. While Bourne never manufactured this boat, he did lay the ground work of what would become future submarine designs, and is often credited as the original designer of the submarine.

Cornelis Drebbel's Submersible

In 1620 while working for the Royal Navy, Cornelis Drebbel, a Dutch engineer, developed the first submersible.

Competitions

Currently, there are two organizations that hold HPS racing. The International Submarine Races organizes a competition in the United States; while the European International Submarine Races organizes a British based competition. While the location of the competition varies annually, some HPS teams travel internationally to participate in both competitions.

The International Submarine Races

The International Submarine Races (ISR) the original creator of the HPS competition that has been hosting the American competition for over 30 years. Sponsored by the Foundation for Underwater Research and Education, ISR has held 15 competitions now on a biannual basis, with the last 12 competitions being held at the David Taylor Model Basin within the Carderock base.