Dear Friends!

We did'nt get all the way - but your generous contributions will allow us to take a big step further. Thank you all!!

The Caps and Postcards are beeing produced in the next couple of weeks. You will all be notified once they are ready to ship!

THANK YOU!

From the entire Copenhagen Suborbitals Team

In 1869, Jules Verne wrote a fantastic story about the mysterious Captain Nemo and his submarine "Nautilus." Nemo was an individual seeking freedom and independence in the depths of the oceans.  He had constructed Nautilus with his faithful friends on a secret shipyard on the island of "Vulcania."

Despit the technology having been available for over a hundred years, no individual or non-government group ever turned Verne’s idea into reality until a group of Danish individuals, led by Peter Madsen and Claus Nørregård, decided to follow their lifelong dream and build a submarine of their own.  Named after Jules Verne’s fictional vessel, the UC3 Nautilus made her maiden voyage in May 2008.

The UC3 Nautilus is a diesel-electric submarine. The diesel engine is used to propel her when sailing on or just below the surface, and the electrical engines are used when submerged.  She is equipped just like a “real” post-WWII submarine with galley, crew bunks, officer’s mass, bridge, and engine room.

The UC3 Nautilus is owned and operated by the non-profit organization “Copenhagen Suborbitals.”  Copenhagen Suborbitals is currently working to become the first non-government, all-volunteer organization to launch a human being into (and back from) space.  She is maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers.

Since her deployment, UC3 Nautilus hs logged more the 1000 dives and she is currently ashore for a major overhaul. The purpose of this campaign is to raise USD 50,000 to pay for the materials and spare parts needed to get her back in the water, thereby ensuring many more years of underwater adventures.

If we reach our funding goal, UC3 Nautilus will be fully operational again by the summer of 2014. All her moving parts and valves will be refurbished or replaced, her electrical system upgraded, and she will be sand blasted and coated with professional grade ship paint – a coating that will last at least 5 years. From the summer 2014 she will once again be able to embark on adventures in the ocean.

What We Need

More than ten people are working on the Nautilus but we need your help to afford the necessary materials for her overhaul.  Over the past year we have repaired the hull, replaced the rudders, and installed the electric engines. We still need to upgrade the diesel engine, replace pressure valves and windows, and install a GPS-calibrated gyrocompass and new underwater cameras.  Additionally, some of the big batteries for electric propulsion need to be replaced. 

Lastly the entire ship will be sandblasted and painted black with the best available ship-grade hull paint.

The refurbishment budget looks like this:

What you get

Everyone should at least once experience the amazing feeling of sailing a submarine. Unfortunately the Danish law prohibits us from taking on passengers, but we have put together a list of donation perks that we hope you will like. We cannot offer you a ride – but we can offer a tour of the submarine while it’s docked in harbour with the engines running to give you’re the full experience of being aboard a real submarine. Furthermore we can offer a tour of our facilities – where you can meet the crew of Copenhagen Suborbitals and experience our rocket building facility first hand.

In exchange for your donation this is what we give:

$10 - Respect
– Our respect and gratitude.

$25 – Memorabilia
– Our respect and gratitude.
- A photo of the UC3 Nautilus hand signed by its designer Peter Madsen.

$100 Guided Tour
– Our respect and gratitude.
- A photo of the UC3 Nautilus hand signed by its designer Peter Madsen.
- A guided tour of the submarine.

$250 – Private guided Tour*
– Our respect and gratitude.
- A photo of the UC3 Nautilus hand signed by its designer Peter Madsen.
- A private guided tour of the submarine.

$500 – Nautilus Crewman Tour*
– Our respect and gratitude.
- A photo of the UC3 Nautilus hand signed by its designer Peter Madsen.
- A “NAUTILUS CREW” Cap.
- A private guided tour of the submarine.
- A private guided tour of our facilities.

$1000 – Nautilus Captains Tour*
– Our respect and gratitude.
- A photo of the UC3 Nautilus hand signed by its designer Peter Madsen.
- A “NAUTILUS CREW” Cap.
- A private tour of the submarine and our facilities – guided by Peter Madsen
- A private session where Peter Madsen shows how the submarine is controlled.

$5000 One on one with the designers*
– Our respect and gratitude.
- A photo of the UC3 Nautilus hand signed by its designer Peter Madsen.
- A “NAUTILUS CREW” Cap.
- A private tour of the submarine and our facilities – guided by Peter Madsen
- A private session where Peter Madsen shows how the submarine is controlled.
- A private lunch with Peter Madsen and Claus Nørregård – who built the UC3 NAUTILUS.


The NAUTILUS CREW cap:

We sincerely hope that you will donate and join us in our adventures, so that UC3 Nautilus can plow the seas for many years to come.

Sincerely

Peter Madsen and the entire crew of Copenhagen Suborbitals.

* The tours take place at our facility in Copenhagen, the exact dates will be set once the campaign is finished. Travel and lodging are not included.

The tour prices stated in the perks is for one person only. The actual tour dates is set by Copenhagen Suborbitals. The dates eventually set may be subject to change and cancellations. If a tour gets cancelled you will be offerende another date.

The Guided tour will be a group of at least 15 people. The private tour will be a group of at least 8 people where each person will get a personal tour in the submarines interior. The Crewman tour will be a group of 4 people where each person gets at private session in the submarine and our facilities. The Captains tour and "One on one with the designers" is for 1 person.

The above prices are only and exclusively for people donating in this campaign.