Inexpensive Subs: An Essay

By avoiding curved hulls except on the edges, and by using a manta ray shaped wide body vessel, cheap high cargo capacity submarines should be possible. I propose stacking plates together with bindings to produce cheap hulls capable of withstanding pressure. The Russians envision a similar wide body shape for commerce in the Arctic, but they stack tubes within an outer hull. My submarine uses cubic body construction. Only the front and sides are rounded. This area holds the ballast tanks in a layered containment with the walls growing thicker towards the inner hull. This is a 200 meter depth submarine for the most part. High volume allows for less surface area and so thick hulls that do not unduly weigh down the submarine. A wide rear allows for multiple slow turning propellers, giving some stealth capability in the form of silent running. Machinery is buried in the wide girth of the vessel to keep noise down. Certain other features regarding power plant and stealth are mentioned. I also propose a cheap way to construct railroads in the Arctic based upon tried and true pontoon techniques.