Saturday, April 02, 2011

REMEMBER THE COCAINE SUBMARINE?




















Years ago we ran the story of the cocaine smuggling submarine that was found in a forest in Ecuador. Now, after all this time, we have a breakdown of its construction and capabilities.

“With a crew of four to six, it has a maximum operational range of 6,800 nautical miles on the surface and can go 10 days without refueling. Packed with 249 lead-acid batteries, the behemoth can also travel silently underwater for up to 18 hours before recharging. The most valuable feature, though, is the cargo bay, capable of holding up to 9 tons of cocaine—a street value of about $250 million. The vessel ferries that precious payload using a GPS chart plotter with side-scan capabilities and a high-frequency radio—essential gadgetry to ensure on-time deliveries. There’s also an electro-optical periscope and an infrared camera mounted on the conning tower—visual aids that supplement two miniature windows in the makeshift cockpit.” (Click here for more)

Click here for Ringo

The secret word is Snorkel

1 comment:

stu said...

please have your boarding passes ready.