Billionaires who are tired of sports cars, who have abandoned their private jets, and who are bored with luxury yachts, can now treat themselves to a new fancy: a private submarine. Launched in 1993, the American company US Submarines prides itself about having developed the very first personal luxury submersible. The company now offers five different models, with interiors made to measure.
The cheapest is the Triton 1000, a small submersible craft for two or three people, which can dive as deep as 300 meters and costs 1.2 million dollars. The Phoenix 1000, a 65- meter-long jewel, is a littlemore expensive: 78 million dollars. For that price, you are assured a certain luxury. Over its 460 square meters of interior space spread out on 4 levels, the Phoenix offers all the characteristics of a high-standing yacht: a sports room, a Jacuzzi, and suites for the guests. As for security, it has all the high-tech equipments: GPS, high-resolution sonar, radar, tracers, and video device. Communications are provided by satellite and radio frequency.
The icing on the cake is a mini submersible for 6 people, which is stowed on the rear deck of the submarine.
It can be used to bring your guests back to the shore, or, for Titanic fans, to go and explore the undersea world down to 600 meters.
Furthermore, in case there is a problem, it can also be of use in evacuating the passengers, thanks to a boarding access directly from the main submarine.
In between the Triton 1000 and the Phoenix 1000, US Submarines offer three other middle-of-the-range models: the Discovery, the Nomad, and the Seattle.
As regards all these submersible crafts, “our clients have one thing in common: all of them are wealthy,” US Submarines plainly explains on its website.
However, it is difficult to learn much more about those lucky few. “Our clientele is composed of people with very diverse profiles: Arab sheiks, world leaders, and multi-millionaires. But they all insist on one point – confidentiality.” Business is doing well. According to Bruce Jones, the chairman and managing director of US Submarines, his company now even encounters difficulties to meet the demand. But after having conquered the market of private submarines, the boss is not short of plans.
For wealthy Jules Verne lovers, he has just launched the construction of a hotel under the sea, off the Fiji Islands.
Named Poseidon, the hotel should be opening at the end of 2009. A room in the resort, per week and per person, costs 15’000 dollars.
