A 60 year old Chinese villager He managed to build and test a handmade submarine after more than a decade of work. The project was born in 2014. The inspiration came from watching the manufacturing of these boats on television.
Zhang Shengwu, a resident of the province Anhuilaunched his creation in 2025 in a river near his home. The submersible weighs about five tons. The development was based on his experience as a carpenter and work related to the shipping sector.
The idea gained strength when considering that it could replicate what was seen on television. Zhang said he worked near water for years. He knew iron and wooden ships. I had never seen one capable of submerging.
The project faced family resistance. His wife considered it expensive and risky. Despite this, Zhang invested 5,000 yuan in materials. He used steel sheets and motors for the first prototype.
That model was tested in 2016. It failed due to water leaks. The experience generated fear and expectation. He then decided to redesign the structure and improve the systems.
In a second stage, he invested close to 40,000 yuanequivalent to almost $6,000. He built a new version with reinforced steel. He added two tons of concrete at the base. It also incorporated ballast tanks. The model was named “Big Black Fish”.
The submarine operates with a electric motor battery powered. It can reach a speed of up to four knots. Manages to remain submerged for a few 30 minutes. Its depth limit is eight meters.
These characteristics differentiate it from military submarines. The latter are designed for long missions. Zhang is looking to develop larger models in the future. Its goal is to improve performance and immersion capacity.
The case is not isolated in China. In 2015, another villager in Shaanxi racked up a debt of 200,000 yuan to build a 9.2 meter submarine. In 2009, Tao Xiangli sailed a homemade model in a reservoir in Beijing.
*The creation of this content was assisted by artificial intelligence. The source of this information is from Grupo de Diarios América (GDA) media and reviewed by an editor to ensure its accuracy. The content was not generated automatically.
