Murder inquiry launched after crowdfunded submarine sinks
The owner of an amateur-built submarine has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the vessel sank off Denmark’s coast and a journalist who had joined him for what was supposed to be a short voyage was reported missing.
Copenhagen police said yesterday the man had denied killing the missing woman. He claimed he had dropped her off on a redeveloped island in Copenhagen’s harbour about 31⁄2 hours into their trip on Friday.
The police statement did not identify the submarine’s owner, Peter Madsen, 46, but the Danish inventor’s financing of the project through crowdfunding and the launch of the UC3 Nautilus in 2008 made headlines.
The 40-tonne, 18-metre vessel has been described as the largest privately built submarine of its kind.
Before his arrest, Madsen appeared on Danish television to discuss the submarine’s sinking and his rescue.
The journalist’s boyfriend alerted authorities that the submarine had not returned from a test run, police said.
‘‘I am fine, but sad because Nautilus went down,’’ Madsen told Denmark’s TV2, which aired footage of him getting off what appeared to be a private boat and making a thumbs-up sign.
Madsen said a minor problem with a ballast tank ‘‘turned into a major issue’’ that ultimately caused the submarine to sink.
‘‘It took about 30 seconds for Nautilus to sink, and I couldn’t close any hatches or anything,’’ he said. ‘‘But I guess that was pretty good, because I otherwise still would have been down there.’’
Swedish police said later they were investigating the whereabouts of a missing woman who had been on the submarine at some point.
‘‘Whether the woman was on board the submarine at the time of her disappearance is unclear,’’ police said.
The woman was a journalist writing about Madsen and his submarine, Swedish and Danish media reported.
The police statement said the submerged submarine was lying in 2m of water, but divers had not been able to enter it safely. They were hoping to tow it to port today and open it then.
Madsen describes himself as an ‘‘inventrepraneur’’ on the website for his Copenhagen-based company RML Spacelab, which is seeking to send people into space and is developing a rocket, a floating launch pad and an astronaut testing machine, among other projects.
The Nautilus set out from Refshale Island, a former shipyard redeveloped as an entertainment and activity spot.
It was later spotted by a lighthouse in Koge Bay, a seaport south of the city.
‘‘A radio contact was established for the boat, which, according to the owner, was heading towards the harbour,’’ the police statement said. Half an hour later ‘‘the submarine suddenly sank and the owner was subsequently rescued on a private motorboat’’.
Madsen told police he had technical problems when asked to explain why the submarine failed to respond to radio contact earlier in the day, Danish navy spokesman Anders Damgaard said.