West Bethesda, Maryland, USA — High-tech met low-tech and college engineers competed against standout high school students late last month in the seventh running (June 23-27) of the International Submarine Races, the biennial human-powered engineering design competition, in the world’s largest indoor tank. Drawing upon both brain and brawn, the scuba-clad future engineers and design entrepreneurs produced a range of submarines from the sublime to the surreal for this year’s competition in the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock Division David Taylor Model Basin here.

As reported by ISR’s John Hussey, top honors for overall performance went to OMER from Montreal, Canada’s École de Technologie Supérieure (University of Quebec). OMER 5, the team’s sleek, 16-foot, two-person submarine, won the “Absolute Speed Award” with the new world record sprint of 6.814 knots and also won the prize for “Best Use of Composites.” The “Overall Performance Award,” sponsored by the IEEE Oceanic Engineering Society, carries a cash prize of $1,000 and a trophy. Team Montreal, the team holding the world’s record for speed, just over 8 mph, was unable to make its first run until Thursday due to computer problems, but then it achieved a blistering record speed of 6.814 knots. OMER 5 is outfitted with sophisticated, computer-driven speed and directional aids for the propulsor and navigator, both of whom provide the human power.

The “Spirit of the Races Award” went to the team from Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, Florida), whose submarine was MISS FIT, a bright red, 16-foot-long six-sided torpedo. This award recognizes overall spirit, gusto, fortitude, and support of other teams and is given to honor the late ISR contestant Steve Barton of Spring Hill, Florida. Judges awarded the “Best Design Outline and Report” prize to Sussex County Technical School of Sparta, New Jersey, whose first-time entry, UMPTYSQUATCH-1 was completely designed, built, and operated by high school students. A new prize, the “Smooth Operator Award,” went to SIRIUS from the University of Washington (Seattle). The award recognizes team efficiency.

The competition featured 19 submarines from teams throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including two high schools and several independents, Hussey said. More than 150 volunteers provided the resources required to conduct the races, including U.S. Navy safety divers and experts from the Carderock Division staff.

Jerry Rovner, race director, said the ISR operations team conducted 189 individual submarine runs during the five-day event. “Our record for 100% safety remains intact,” he said. Rovner manages the process of all race operations including diving, safety, emergency procedures, course lighting, underwater video, and timing, “This was the smoothest operation we’ve ever run. We owe a huge debt of thanks to the U.S. Navy, to our volunteers, and to the submarine teams.” Chiming in was chief judge Claude Brancart. “We’ve seen some excellent designs from the student teams,” said Brancart, a retired expert in autonomous underwater vehicles from Draper Laboratories and former IEEE/OES president. “We anticipated lively competition and that’ s exactly what we got.” Brancart and the other judges remarked on the significant progress being made in engineering and design capability by many of the nation’s technical high schools.