A Teenager Built His Own Working Submarine

[Geo]

Justin Beckerman, an 18-year-old high school student from New Jersey, built and wired a fully-functional, one-man submarine. The underwater vehicle is mostly made of the lightweight, yet strong, grooved plastic typically used in piping.

The construction feat is less than surprising to those familiar with Beckerman's talent — he's been engineering products out of various building materials since he was two years old, the teenager told Business Insider.

Beckerman salvages every old or broken device he can find, along with donations from friends and neighbors, and occasional trips to electronics recycling facilities with his dad.

He's built remote-controlled vacuums, miniature model jet engines, and headsets that can play DVDs. The submarine is by far the teen's biggest project to date.

Justin's father, Ken Beckerman, says he learned early on to give his son space, support, and freedom to tinker with things: "[Justin] will tell me something is going to work, and to me it doesn't make any sense or its not possible. Instead of telling him that it can't happen or it's not real, I just let it sit ... I'm supportive in letting him do his thing, and letting him dream."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/high-schooler-justin-beckerman-homemade-submarine-2013-5?op=1#ixzz2Uh5htSs8

_______________________________

Grab 'm before the Drug Mob do, Navy. 

[Buster's Uncle]

I remember when I would have thought this was the coolest thing ever.

[gwillybj]

And I was happy when I built a working crane with my Erector Set...

[Green1]

I am old enough to remember ads in Marvel comics about "working" submarines for like 30 USD (60 USD nowadays bucks).

However, I read somewhere all it was is a box, a battery with an LED, and holes cut for portholes. I would have been pissed.

Now THIS is what my imagination expected.

[Unorthodox]

Getting claustrophobic just looking at that. 

I was busy learning theatrical makeup at that age.