[ 06-28-2003: Message edited by: cncservo ]

Not considering practicality what would the advantage be of this underwater capsule?
Most water have little visibility and what is there to see? The waters that are clear and have fantastic corral reefs and colourful sea creatures are restricted for large cruise ships they would simply destroy the delegate reefs with their “brute” power. The waters where cruise ships can come are to deep to see the creatures their and the creatures that can be seen (like whales) are sporadic and they life in depths that can not be reached by such a capsule. Imagine paying for this novelty and seeing nothing.

Also I think the major cruise public has no affinity with what can be seen you have to be a real ocean fanatic or researcher to appreciate something like that, or to have the patience to wait hours and days to gat a few seconds glimpse of an ocean creature.

Of course your idea is as a concept okay, it can result or inspire other ideas with a more practical basis.

[ 06-29-2003: Message edited by: Brian_O ]

KEEL-HAULING
KEEL-HAULING, a punishment inflicted for various offences in the Dutch navy. It is performed by plunging the delinquent repeatedly under the ship's bottom on one side, and hoisting him up on the other, after having passed under the keel. The blocks, or pullies, by which he is suspended, are fastened to the opposite extremities of the main-yard, and a weight of lead or iron is hung upon his legs to sink him to a competent depth. By this apparatus he is drawn close up to the yard-arm, and thence let fall suddenly into the sea, where, passing under the ship's bottom, he is hoisted up on the opposite side of the vessel. As this extraordinary sentence is executed with a serenity of temper peculiar to the Dutch, the culprit is allowed sufficient intervals to recover the sense of pain, of which indeed he is frequently deprived during the operation. In truth, a temporary insensibility to his sufferings ought by no means to be construed into a disrespect of his judges, when we consider that this punishment is supposed to have peculiar propriety in the depth of winter, whilst the flakes of ice are floating on the stream; and that it is continued till the culprit is almost suffocated for want of air, benumbed with the cold of the water, or stunned with the blows his head receives by striking the ship's bottom.

What about de-emphasising the marine life-viewing aspect of the original idea, and instead just making it a thrill ride? Passengers would be lowered into the water in the capsule, and towed behind the ship. The capsule could have a rudder, so one could steer it back and forth across the wake.

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Originally posted by Namlit:
From William Falconer's Dictionary of the Marine:

KEEL-HAULING, a punishment inflicted for various offences in the Dutch navy.

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It wasn't only the Dutch. Although the practice was explicity outlawed, Captain Bligh was accused of the practice on at least one occassion on HMS Bounty.

quote:

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Originally posted by Namlit:

What about de-emphasising the marine life-viewing aspect of the original idea, and instead just making it a thrill ride? Passengers would be lowered into the water in the capsule, and towed behind the ship. The capsule could have a rudder, so one could steer it back and forth across the wake.

Sign me up!

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Thrill ride? I was thinking more in terms of a bet. If a passenger survived he/she would get a full refund of his/her fare in addition to the close up view of marine life. In the more likely event of passenger death, the cruise line would keep the money and be free of liablity.

Of course in reality, I was simply being facetious. Bad me!!!

[ 07-01-2003: Message edited by: Brian_O ]