The Dolphin submarine or VASH: Variable Attitude Submersible Hydrofoil, has revolutionized the concept of one man submarines. It can roll and complete 360-degree turns, along with leaping out of the water like a breaching dolphin, to a record height of 15 feet!  Amazing photos.

The men who invented VASH are Thomas "Doc" Rowe, 40 and Dennis "Dusty" Kaiser, 44.  The first prototype was launched in the Whiskeytown lake in northern California.

Thomas "Doc" Rowe beside his creation the bionic dolphin.

The people at Discover Magazine were so impressed that they called Rowe and Kaiser the Wrights of the Sea, equating their breakthrough inventivness to that of the Wright brothers.

Other media showed up on their doorstep as well, but it wasn´t always that way. In 1988 Rowe and Kaiser were the laughing stock of boat designers and were told that "this is the wackiest project the world has ever seen".

The dolphin submarine measures 11 feet long and is made of tough carbon fiber with a layer of Kevlar (an advanced polyester material used in bullet proof vests).

VASH uses a 200 to 600 horsepower inboard engine, giving it a surface speed in excess of 170 mph, with an underwater speed of 70 mph. It runs on both gasoline, alcohol and fuel cells.

In 1995 Thomas "Doc" Rowe was credited with being the first human to pilot an underwater craft in excess of 100 mph. The Navy and the Navy Seals latr began extensive testing, to see if they could use the dolphin submarine as a covert vehicle.

The VASH soon proved to be the ultimate underwater weapon – impossible to track and locate. Tests indicated that the dolphin submarine can overtake and destroy the fastest Navy torpedoes.

There are hundreds of wonderful pictures and illustrations of the craft  on Doc´s home page.

ARCHIMEDES: How did you invent the Dolphin submarine?

DOC: The initial concept came to me in the early seventies, I was into drag boat racing at that time and noticed that the hydroplanes were reaching speeds that made their "wing" area dangerous, to the point where drivers were unprotected in the event of a crash.

As time wore on my craving for thrills made me familiar with a number of different adrenaline sports but my first love has always been surfing.

While sitting watching dolphins play in the surf one day, it hit me, If we can build something that can soar like a bird, why not something that performs like a sea creature? So I began to research dolphins and diving birds (in particular, penguins) and the result was the Variable Attitude Submersible Hydrofoil or Dolphin submarine.

The dolphin submarine is well adapted to the underwater environment,
surrounded by real dolphins.

ARCHIMEDES:  Who are you, Doc?

DOC:  My real name is Thomas Rowe and I guess I could best be described as a renaissance man. I picked up the nickname Doc while practicing Holistic therapy (Accupressure and massage).

ARCHIMEDES:  What is your technical background?

DOC:  A lifetime of tinkering , inventing and designing my own toys, tools and art.

ARCHIMEDES:  How does the dolphin submarine work?

DOC:  It is in essence an airplane in reverse, a submarine that works like a blimp or dirigible.

ARCHIMEDES:  How much do you charge for a dolphin submarine?

One of Rowes dream project is a passenger dolphin. 

DOC:  To custom hand build it would cost anywhere from $150,000 on up depending on size and performance requirements. To build one yourself is far less expensive if you’re not paying labor costs. An entry level bionic dolphin can be backyard built in about 2-3 years for around $ 20-25,000..

ARCHIMEDES:  Do you sell it to just anyone, considering it could be used as a weapon too, or are there restrictions?

DOC:  A box opener or a rubber dingy or a Cessna 172 are all proven weapons, the dolphin submarine has no more restrictions on it than any of them…. Yet!

ARCHIMEDES:  What does it take to drive this craft?

DOC:  A little stick, time in a small plane helps but basically it just takes time and practice.

ARCHIMEDES:  How will you be rescued if you collide underwater or wreck your dolphin submarine at the bottom?

DOC:  A dolphin submarine is positively buoyant, even when flooded.  So, unless you’re stuck under something, you will naturally float to the surface.

ARCHIMEDES:  How long can it stay underwater?

DOC:  With gas or diesel, 10-15 seconds, with a gas/electric hybrid, 2-3 hours, with fuel cell/electric, 5-6 hours. However, it was originally designed to be a fast and furious surface toy with brief subsurface capabilities.

ARCHIMEDES:  How high can it jump?

DOC:  That depends.  Theoretically, if a dolphin submarine breaches the surface at 20 mph on a 70-80 degree angle of attack, it should reach 15 feet of clear air. Personally, in flat water, in a shallow fresh water lake, I’ve had the nose 10 feet up, but the transom was only about a foot out. Unfortunately my original prototype was stolen before we had a chance to dial in the power package, also as a result of the theft, continued development has been painfully slow due to lack of funds.

ARCHIMEDES:  Is there a practical use for the jumping ability or is it just for fun?

DOC:  It’s just something fun to do.

ARCHIMEDES:  Have real dolphins seen their bionic counterpart and if so, what’s their reaction to it?

DOC:  I haven’t had the opportunity to play with the real dolphins yet, but I sure scared the grin off a shark while doing electric power testing off the coast of Santa Barbara! He’s probably still having "attack of the giant mutant dolphin" nightmares!

ARCHIMEDES:  Can the dolphin submarine be equipped with underwater cameras?

DOC:  Absolutely.

ARCHIMEDES:  Can it run silently or does it make a lot of noise underwater?

DOC:  I have run on strictly ballast power as a glider, completely silent.

ARCHIMEDES:  What are the primary design features of the dolphin submarine?

DOC:  Crash capsule safety, 3 axis control, positive buoyancy, all weather capabilities, comfort, aquabatic capability, and just plain sex appeal!

ARCHIMEDES:  And the disadvantage?

DOC:  Slow operator learning curve, lack of any relevant ABS or Coast Guard classification, high cost of certain components and mostly, just being the first of anything radically innovative is historically a disadvantage.

ARCHIMEDES:  We would need a five seater for exploring Lake Seljordsvattnet in Norway in our search for a family of sea serpents in that water.  When will such a craft be available?

DOC:  Just as soon as we can find someone to fund it, which I’ve found to be a much greater challenge than creating the craft itself. I live and work on a small farm outside a small town in northern California and funding sources for anything outside of real-estate and livestock are nonexistent here. All our research and development thus far, has all been funded out of pocket and the pocket has worn pretty thin over
the years.

ARCHIMEDES:  Thank´s for the interview!

DOC:  You´re welcome.