Yellow Submarine makes its first splash in the Pacific

Our test went quite well.

Here are some pictures from yesterday and today's La Jolla Shores open water test:

Our Yellow Submarine Project Crew

Brian, Peter, and Geoff

Peter and Brian

Poli smiling over submarine and Geoff

Submarine surfing

Brian smiling after leaving the testing waters

Bringing the submarine in

Peter, Geoff, and Brian coming in with the sub

Geoff standing in front of the submarine

Nicole and Poli

Prop on the beach

Submarine spread out on the beach

Our intrepid crew stands by

Robert spray painting the ballast valve

More later (including underwater footage from today's test!)

Love,
Peter and the Yellow Submarine Project Crew

Next Meeting and Test Run #3

Hello Yellow Submarine Crew!

Our next work session will be on the weekend of September 19th. My goal is to get everything functional and add the remaining basic systems required for an open water dive test. The two primary concerns I have at this point are the ballast system (of course) and creating a sealed battery delivery system so we don't ruin our expensive batteries! I think our best shot for the ballast system is either to add a second temporary valve or try to re-plumb the current system again. To refresh your memory, take a look at our older diagram post.

We need to all be thinking about these problems so we can hit the ground running Saturday morning...

For your enjoyment, below are some photos from a recent wreck dive Peter and I went on.

Our Video Camera

Con Tower

Peter Guns!

Yellow Submarine Project videos posted

After months of hard work and several million dollars in secret government slush funds, we've managed to create our very own YouTube account!

With our newfound powers of mass communication surging from our fingertips, we took two videos which were idly waiting on a lonely desktop and cast them up into the ominous worldwide Web. Ah, a brilliant display of our mighty powers of communication wizardry!

Here is the first, a recap of our latest late night modifications and underwater test:




And the second, the eagerly anticipated interviews with the intrepid crew of the Yellow Submarine Project:



Thank you for all your support in this grand endeavour!

Love,
Peter and the Yellow Submarine Crew

Thanks, listeners, for tuning in!

I know you've all been early anticipating the footage from the second pool dive, and want to get to know some of the people involved in the submarine project, perhaps through the magic of a video interview. Well I'm hear to tell you that soon, very soon, your requests will be answered, your desires met, and the posts you want me to get up we be got upped (?).

Love,
Peter Dominguez and the Yellow Submarine Project Management

Test #2 Results

Thank you to everyone who helped support the second underwater test. We were able to adjust the fine tuning of the ballast system and we accomplished neutral buoyancy which was our goal. Unfortunately, we forgot the cable that connects the batteries for the full 24 volts, so we'll have to wait to test the motor's full capability. We'll be posting more info on the results and where to go from here. Below are some pics from the test (photos by Robert Burns----thank you!).

Peter descending while adjusting the temporary ballast lever.

Me at the controls... Watch out!

Peter celebrating the fact that it works!

Fixing the ballast ratio underwater

Ascending

Prop Spinning

Underwater Video

Close up

Test Run Tomorrow

We are all ready for our second test run tomorrow morning! In preparation Peter and I have successfully tested the submarine motor at a full 24 volts. We accomplished this by daisy chaining the deep cycle batteries. We also installed a test system for the front ballast tank: We installed a pipe with a stopper valve that opens and closes with a lever that can be turned from outside the sub. We will be able to test the tank underwater to better understand the sensitivity of the ballast system. We will be meeting tomorrow at 11:00am at my house.

See you all then!

News Articles from Port Townsend

The sub made the front page of the local paper when it was launched in Port Townsed, Washington. There is some interesting commentary and "history" of the sub. I have the originals of a few other articles as well if any of you are interested in looking at them.



Here are the links of the press coverage:

Port Townsend Leader

Scuba Gadget

Peninsula Daily News

Next Meeting and Test Run #2

We will be meeting to work on the Sub this Friday night and Sunday during the day (August 14th&16th). In particular, we will need extra hands on this Sunday as will be doing another test run. Please RSVP if you can make it.

Progress Update

For those of you who haven't been kept up to date, here is an update: We are working on finishing the enhancements to the fore and aft ballast systems. While the replacement we installed is functional, we need to install o-rings and find a way to lubricate or spring-load the open/close pull cable so it is easier to manipulate.

Email me if you're interested in coming to the next work session. Also, we're still up in the air about a name!

-b

Ensenada Ocean Dive

Exciting update folks,

The ambition of our crew never ceases to amaze, once again.

After many long hours yesterday in the shop, the submarine was working better than ever.  So, with the ballast tanks fixed, the seats fastened, and the electric motor upgraded, Brian and I decided to GO FOR IT and take the submarine into the deep blue sea.  It just seemed like the logical step to take after the successful pool dive on Sunday, so we just went for it.

So we took the sub to La Jolla Shores, a spot where Brian and I have dived many times before, and therefore would be most comfortable testing out the submarine in open water.  So we loaded it into the back of Robert's pickup truck and drove on down with no troubles at all.  That was until we tried to get it in the water.  At the same time, a United States Coast Guard vessel was heading down the coastline and spotted us carrying the big, bright, yellow submarine towards the shore.  All of the sudden, the boat diverted its course and headed full speed in our direction.  Brian, Robert and I were busted...for what exactly, we did not know.

As it turns out, the submarine's Washington registration was not valid in the Great State of California, as the Coast Guard official told us, and we would not be able to put the submarine in the water without a new license - something that would take us 6-8 weeks to acquire.  Determined not to be stopped in our pursuit to take the submarine into the bosom of the Pacific, we thought long and hard between ourselves what we could do.

The answer struck all three of us at once: Mexico. Freedom.  We may not have the credentials to put this sub in U.S. waters, but if we went south of the border, those laws couldn't follow us.  So we set our Garmin GPS for Ensenada, Mexico (where I had been once and had a pretty good time).

Everything after that went smooth as butter: we got the submarine there, paid a local fisherman to take us a half mile out, and placed her in the water.  We forgot to bring our cameras amidst all the excitement, however one of the fisherman that came out with us managed a few snapshots with his suprisingly amazing camera:

Brian in the sub, with the Ensenada harbor in the background.

Peter, Brian, and Robert in the beautiful Mexican waters

Brian and Peter in the sub, later on when clouds rolled in

Happy April Fool's Day everyone.  We'll keep you up to date as to when the next ocean dive will go down.

A few things...

Great job on Sunday and thank you for all of your help. Special thanks to Peter and the rest of the Dominguez family for letting us use of their pool and to Robert and Chris for the use of their trucks to transport the Sub and our scuba gear. I still can't believe everything came together so quickly, I thought it would be at least a month or two before we got that thing in the water, let alone working!

As you all know, there's still a lot between where we are now and our first ocean dive, so let's get to it! As Peter stated in his last blog, the functional things we need to improve upon are as follows:

1. Ballast Tank Seals- There needs to be some type of o-ring. Also, some adjusting still needs to be done to the new pull cable in the aft seal. It doesn't close all the way right now even though it did in the pool.
2. The Seat Covers- For both the pilot and passenger seats, the covers need to be attached to the seats so they don't float off when the ship is in the water.
3. Moving the Boat- especially getting it out of the water.

I'll start looking around for parts that we need and I'll post the next meeting date as soon as we have one.

All the fixes are minor and I agree with Peter, that we could probably fix all these things in one day with preparation. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't work on other aspects simultaneously. I know Jesse is anxious to get working on the motor and power supply and I'm sure Robert would like to get started on paint ideas. Personally, I would like to see some simple gauges (like depth tempature etc...) installed into the Instrument Panel.

I would also like to get a better domain name as it is very hard for people to remember "yellowsubmarinproject.blogspot.com". Does anyone have any ideas (look if it's available before you post)? YellowSubmarineProject.com is available, but I almost feel like that is too long and we can probably do better...

Anyways, here are some more pics that I stole from Courtney's facebook.

"Pool Dive" photos

Here's some of the photos from Sunday's "pool dive" for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy!

Pete and Brian prepping the sub for takeoff

Robert's ride, pimped out with a 16-foot sub

Robert, the orange truck, and the yellow submarine

Brian and Pete with spiffy Navy hats

Robert gives his official salute

Brian and Pete loading up the air tubes into the aft ballast chamber

White boys hauling a yellow sub

Ah, great success. She floats!

 Peter, Brian, and Robert getting a feel for her.

Well done, sir!

Brian, quite pleased with his new sub

Pete ready to get in

Pete checking the forward ballast valve

Pete taking a break

Love/hate relationship with the sub while trying to get her out of the pool

Finding out how much water weighs

Submarine Team Photo @ the Dominguez Home

(from left:) Chris, Chelsea, Robert, Peter, John, Brian, and Andrew