The Windermere is a MERGO 10 submersible designed and built by Malmari & Winberg, a former subsidiary of Finnish shipbuilder Rauma-Repola.[1] The MERGO 10 vessels measured 10.05m (32.97feet) in length, 2.8m (09.2feet) in beam and 3.5m (11.5feet) in overall height. The vessels had a displacement of 24LT and were capable of diving to 100m (300feet) depth. The MERGO 10 could carry ten passengers in addition to its pilot.[2] The Windermere had a cruising speed of 0.5knot and a maximum speed of 3knot. As well as large underwater viewports it was equipped with video cameras and powerful lights, it also had sonar. It carried enough oxygen to sustain 10 people for 96 hours.
A larger vessel in the series, the MERGO 50, could carry 48 passengers in addition to its 2–4 man crew.[3] The series is now produced by the South Korean small vessel manufacturer Vogo.[4]
The Windermere was delivered by crane to Lakeside marina at the southern end of Windermere in July 1997. It was the first submarine to operate on the lake and was owned by Paul and Jane Whitfield who also operated a submarine at Loch Ness, Scotland.[5] The vessel carried out a 200feet dive on 27 July 1997 and began commercial operation in August.[6] [7]
The pilot, Alan Whitfield, wore a blue boilersuit emblazoned with a union flag and would stand to attention on deck while passengers boarded.[7] The Windermere usually operated on short trips, lasting around an hour, to a small wreck near to the marina but it also cruised as far as the YMCA hostel, around 2.5km (01.6miles) north of the marina.[7] [5] A typical cruise cost £49.50 and it carried 3,500 passengers in the 1997 season.[7] The venture proved unprofitable, perhaps due to competition from a newly opened underwater walkway at the nearby Aquatarium (now known as the Lakes Aquarium).[5] [7] The Windermere rarely carried a full complement in the 1998 season, which was its last on the lake. It afterwards saw service as a tourist vessel diving on shipwrecks in Mauritius and, as of February 2021, operated in Barbados.[7]