Jealous 007? Navy gets real ‘Bond boat’

Secret craft turns into a submarine at the f lick of a switch

DROPPED f rom a helicopter, the sleek carbon-fibre speedboat races along the water at 40 knots before turning into a submarine and diving almost 100ft.

This state- of- the- art, 39ft- long vessel – being tested by British Special Forces – is set to transform the Royal Navy’s ability to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf.

Known as the Victa, it can turn into a sub in just a couple of minutes and its Rolls-Royce waterjet surface engines give it a range of up to 250 nautical miles.

The craft, which has echoes of James Bond’s sea- diving Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me, is controlled by a two-man crew and can carry an additional six commandos. All of them wear diving gear because the cockpit floods as the vessel plunges underwater.

The design allows the Victa to be dropped into the sea from a military aircraft or be released from the hull of a Royal Navy sub.

Made by SubSea Craft in Gosport, Hampshire, the vessel features elements contributed by Olympic sailing champion Sir Ben Ainslie from his racing yacht designs. A Royal Navy source said: ‘For decades, we’ve been waiting for a vessel to be developed which is effective on the surface of the water and below. The enemy won’t be able to see or hear us coming. Given the threat to British ships in the Strait of Hormuz, its arrival is very timely.’

Brigadier Tim Chicken, a former Royal Marine commander in Afghanistan who now works for SubSea Craft said: ‘Our design is truly cutting edge. Victa opens up potentially game changing tactical and strategic choices in maritime, joint and special operations.’