Three Pulled from Sublike Vessel in NYC River

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

Authorities are questioning three men after pulling them from a submersible vessel in the East River in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to reports from ABC affiliate WABC.

The men were captured near the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in downtown Brooklyn, near the massive cruise ship the Queen Mary 2, just after 11 a.m.

The intent of the three men being held by police remains unclear, but the initial indication is that it did not appear to be terror-related. They have not been identified by police and no charges have been filed.

The orblike vessel, with a circular hatch on the top for entering and exiting, remains moored in the East River in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. It was equipped with oxygen tanks, WABC reported.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3444500&page=1

---

Looks like the TGIF Comedy has started.

[Demeter]

1. Since When is This a Crime?

[Ian David]

3. Coast Guard regulations? drug smuggling? Reckless endangerment?

You know, if the handful of drug smugglers using "improvised submarines" would apply for patents on their vessels...

[MonkeyFunk]

6. It may not be

and they haven't been charged with anything.

But it's certainly suspicious, and worthy of investigation.

[LifeDuringWartime]

23. Maybe

They could just be DIY enthusiasts, although I wouldn't be surprised if it was something more nefarious.

[pokercat999]

45. Deep sea fishing? I gotta hear the explanation for this.

Wonder if Keith Obermann will have it on his "Oddball" segment.

[slackmaster]

28. Not a crime, just an infraction or two

Unregistered vessel, possibly an unseaworthy vessel if the CG says so.

[cspanlovr]

2. Could it be Diver Dan?

He protects and he saves his friends under the waves, that's where you'll find Diver Dan!

[Tyler Durden]

5. Who will protect us from "The Baron Baracuda" NOW???

[cspanlovr]

22. I guess we've aged ourselves! Did you grow up in NY, or was

Diver Dan shown in other areas?

[Lars39]

44. I know it was on in the Chicago area.

:blush:

[_testify_]

13. or Scuba Steve! n/t

[liberal N proud]

4. did not appear to be terror-related

Of course not, there was no memo from Cheney stating that it was terrorism.

[nebenaube]

7. that had to be a terrible trip....

so, did the Queen Mary 2 drag this thing from Britian?

[BootinUp]

8. Initially, this reminds me of the scene in Jaws

where the two kids where pretending to be a shark.... :rofl:

It could be more serious, maybe.

[MichaelHarris]

9. It looks round

does that mean it's propulsion method is just to roll around? Hope they had headgear.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. It resembles the first submersibles built -

probably just some hobbyists who thought it would be cool to build their own submarine and based their design on the original submersible.

They just screwed up because even homemade boats have to be registered.

[Jed Dilligan]

15. My thought as well

I wonder if they read the history of those early submarines--how all the inventors pretty much drowned.

[DemoTex]

10. Sub-versives?

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[Demeter]

12. 50 Lashes With the Ole Wet Noodle

How could you commit such an atrocity in this weather?

[Jed Dilligan]

14. Looks a bit like Bushnell's Turtle

http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/St-Ts/Submarines-and-Submersibles.html

Could they be Revolutionary War re-enacters with a taste for the obscure?

[MGKrebs]

16. Hmm. Was it actually submerged, or just bobbing along?

Calling Marine Boy!

[ohio2007]

17. Looks like "The Turtle" A American Revolutionary era submarine

was supposed to drill a hole in the bulkhead of a British Man of War but the attempt failed

[tom_paine]

26. Yes, I noticed that, too. Wonder if they were "playing history"

Probbaly something more innocuous like that.

[ohio2007]

48. Bet they had no clue they were near the QE II

well, one thing led to another and before ya know it, the pony keg was exausted so ...they put to sea. :)
I'm talking the original Turtle.

Hey! John Adams brews beer !!!! lets go get it

BRILLIANT !!

[slackmaster]

27. Sorry guys, HMS Eagle sailed out of the harbor 231 years ago

:crazy:

[ohio2007]

47. The vessel turned out to be a replica of a Revolutionary War submarine

USA Today article;

snip

The brown, egg-shaped wooden vessel, known as a "turtle submarine," is a replica of a submarine used during the American Revolution, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Angelia Rorison. It looks like a diving bell, with a hatch on top, and is about 8 feet long and 4 feet wide. It is propelled by a pedal-operated paddle.


snip


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070803/ap_on_re_us/nyc_submarine_2

[Blue_Tires]

50. cool!

[yellowcanine]

18. No doubt it was a "terra" dry run. Off to Gitmo with em.

:sarcasm:

If it was a terra dry run I would say we don't have a lot to worry about. Those guys appear to be at least two beers short of a 6-pack. Floating around in the East River in a giant gourd with no way to control vertical or horizontal movement, let alone see where one is going - that is just nuts. What if a ship had slammed into them?

[humbled_opinion]

19. I agree worth looking into .. too many bridges and submerged tunnels...

as well as large ships in NY harbor to take the chance... Were they Muslim by chance...(just asking)

[NorthernSpy]

20. would you agree to get in a homemade submarine for ANY amount of money?

That thing does not look particularly seaworthy.


:scared:

[Eugene]

21. AP: Odd-Looking 'submarine' Spotted Near QM2 (Revolutionary War replica)

Source: Associated Press

Odd-Looking `submarine' Spotted Near QM2

Friday August 3, 2007 8:01 PM

NEW YORK (AP) - Authorities arrested three men after
spotting a strange-looking submarine bobbing Friday near
the docked Queen Mary 2. The three were being questioned,
but authorities said there was no indication terrorism was
involved.

The vessel turned out to be a replica of a Revolutionary War
submarine. It wasn't immediately clear what the men were
doing with it.

-snip-

The Coast Guard issued two citations to Philip Riley, 35, of
Brooklyn, who was inside the bobbing vessel, Rorison said.

“Basically, the vessel was not safe to sail. It had no lights,
no flares. It was not registered,” she said. “Instead of safety
violations, this could have turned into a search and rescue.”

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6825810,00.html

[BrotherBuzz]

24. Maybe this was just a a dry run, a test, before doing the falls...

Niagra Falls! :rofl:

[nedbal]

25. local news 4 just reported it was "performance art" created by a artist based on civil war sub

[slackmaster]

29. Revolutionary War sub

http://www.historycentral.com/NAVY/MISC%202/turtle.html

[Jed Dilligan]

30. Hah!

That's exactly what I posted!

[slackmaster]

43. It looks like they used a toilet seat for a hatch

It sure doesn't look watertight.

[Jed Dilligan]

46. The original was none too watertight, either

http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/St-Ts/Submarines-and-Submersibles.html

It sank.

[kitty1]

31. Submersible found floating new New York City

Source: Breitbart

Don't tell me the Russians have the balls to seize the U.S. now as their territory. They even left a flag behind again.

Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070803172710.b42irkn7&show_article=1

[aquart]

32. They beat Canada to the North Pole, did they?

Although I'm pretty sure Canada staked out those areas months ago.

[gatorboy]

33. It was probably Namor the Sub-Mariner

[MADem]

36. It was a Revolutionary War re-enacter, see post three below. He's done this before NT

[MADem]

34. Ahhh, but WAIT...there's even MORE!!!!!!!

It was a REPLICA!!!!




The Brooklyn native manning the 8-foot-by-4-foot fiberglass and wood submarine, a replica of a 1775 model called the "Turtle," was cited by police after drifting too close to the Queen Mary 2. (NYPD)

A man in a Revolutionary War-era submarine was cited by the U.S. Coast Guard for drifting into a security zone, and for unsafe sailing in New York's East River near the Queen Mary 2 luxury liner, the Coast Guard and New York City Police Department said Friday.

The man in the replica vessel was identified as 35-year-old Philip "Duke" Riley of Brooklyn, N.Y., according to Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Seth Johnson.

Authorities said it was the second time Riley had floated the vessel in the vicinity of the cruise ship. The submarine, which reportedly did not have a mechanical propulsion system, was being towed by two other men in a rowboat.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3444500

[Cooley Hurd]

35. Since I was a child, I've dreamed of building my own submarine!

DAMN the Beatles!

[MADem]

38. The guy is quite the 'artiste'

A whole load of pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keylimecom/sets/72157600904315117/

[Submariner]

37. The Bush/Cheney Junta have instilled such a sense of fear

that original thought, adventure, and leisure are all suspect by the paranoid state of tension the coward Bush crowd have instilled in their sheep. Three guys having a good time with their submersible.

With regard to the Russian flag planting in the Arctic (not related to your link), Putin is sticking his finger in Bush's eye because he can. He knows Bush is weak and distracted by his collapsing legacy.

We don't have the respectable standing in the world we once had, so rogue nations can get adventurous without consequence. In an earlier life I played chicken-of-the-sea with the Soviets. Now they can spit in our face with impunity because of the no-balls Chimp from Crawford, and Putin knows it.

[Ian David]

41. How can anyone be made paranoid by a submarine designed to stealthily sink ships?

In this case, I think the authorities had a good reason to at least look into this.

"Oh, look. It's a replica of the USN Turtle, a low-tech early submarine designed to sneak-up on the British Navy and sink their ships in the harbor. Let's watch while it makes it's way toward that British cruise ship."

I mean, what if someone in Al Quaeda said, "You know, boss... I had a thought the other day-- "Submarine". I was thinking "Submarine" and I realized that I could either blow all my money on something expensive now, or save it to spend on having a good time with my 72 virgins in the next life. And I came across this thing in a book about the American Revolutionary War... anyway, can I borrow your Sears card?"

[pinniped]

39. Oh no!....the Japanese are unleashing their WWII midget subs on us again.

Are ballon bombs going to begin landing in the Pacific Northwest?

or....

[tularetom]

40. You aren't using a Mac are you?

If you were you'd change your avatar. That's the "beach ball of death". Means something ain't working right in your 'puter.

[pinniped]

42. lol....I'm have a 1.67Ghz PB.

My puter is fairly new (circa 2005), so luckily the beach ball isn't an issue for me.

I do have to change the avatar because its alignment is off a bit.



I might change it to a SF Giants colored beach ball.

[chknltl]

49. Three Members of the Minuteman Militia Detained

Three Members of the Minuteman Militia, Harbor Watch Branch, were detained earlier today when authorities spotted their submersible being restocked with beer. The Militia men claimed they were gathering evidence on a nearby large ship and had planned to attach a GPS tracking device to it's outer hull in order to track it back to it's El Kaida Headquarters. The Public Relations Officer for the Queen Mary 2 was unavailable for comment leading this reporter to believe that Cuinard Lines may indeed be bringing foreigners to our shores. It is this reporters hopes that the submersible be released from custody soon because with the tide out, that recently supplied half rack of Coors is at peril of getting warm. (And if it ain't gonna get used, I want my damn cell phone back too!)

[Phrogman]

51. Hey, I know what that is.....

I drove one in the Navy, of course they're a little newer....

https://extensis.cnrc.navy.mil/netpub/server.np?original=1701&site=Bravado&catalog=specops