Our Mission
We are a community of driven students from across the University of Washington that believes that everyone is capable of impactful and original work.
Every year, we come together to share our passion with others, and design the coolest sub on the west coast.
We compete every year in either the International Submarine Races in Carderock, Maryland, or the European International Submarine Races, in Gosport, England.
We run on a two year design cycle meaning new subs are built every two years before the International Submarine Races
History
The University of Washington has been a continuous presence at the ISR races. In 1989 Jim Osse of the Applied Physics Laboratory entered the 1st ISR with a 16 foot long, 32 inch diameter submarine constructed of Sitka spruce laminated with fiberglass on both sides. According to Jim Osse too much time was spent on the laminar shape, and not enough emphasis was given to propulsion. The submarine is currently on display in the Applied Physics Lab.
In the autumn of 1990, a small group of Mechanical Engineering students requested ME sponsorship to begin design on a sub for ISR-2. Professor Bruce Adee absorbed the Human Powered Submarine program into the Ocean Engineering sector of the Mechanical Engineering Department, and the first SeaDawg was born. It has remained within the department ever since as an undergraduate student design project. Through its 24 years in ME history, the Human Powered Submarine program has been a wholly student-run design class.
