Homemade submarine found in New York

From Breitbart:

New York authorities were questioning three men found in a bizarre submersible vessel floating just off Manhattan on Friday, according to local reports.
The men were discovered early Friday near the cruise terminal in Brooklyn where the massive ocean liner The Queen Mary II is moored, ABC television reported on its website.

When asked about the incident, a police spokeswoman declined to confirm the report or provide any further information, saying only that officers were at the scene.

What the three men were doing in the vessel -- which appeared to be spherical with a circular hatch on top -- was not immediately clear.

According to ABC, there was no indication that the discovery was terror-related -- a constant fear in New York following the September 11 Al-Qaeda attacks on New York.

ABC's radio affiliate WABC reported that the vessel was equipped with oxygen tanks.

CBS adds this:

The mysterious vessel was partly submerged and “appeared to be designed for underwater navigation,” the NYPD said in a statement.

The vessel appears to be a replica of the "Bushnell Turtle," the first American submarine, invented around 1775 in Connecticut by David Bushnell. The Revolutionary War era sub was designed as a naval weapon, and it was meant to drill into a ship's hull and plant a keg of powder, which would be detonated by a time fuse.

“All three males are expected to be charged with a number of violations and both vessels will be secured by the Harbor Unit,” the NYPD said.



UPDATE:

What they seized was a working replica of a revolutionary war era Turtle submarine. Its creator, Duke Riley, painstakingly recreated it at the Red Hook Woodworks Studio. Friends say when he started on this passion project they were skeptical.

"I didn't think it was going to float honestly," Scott Raffaele said.

Friday's test run was not the first and seemed to go swimmingly until police say the man inside -- confirmed by friends as Riley -- allegedly breached the security zone around the Queen Mary.

Riley and two friends were taken in for questioning. The submarine was towed back to shore.

The Revolutionary War era sub was designed as a naval weapon, and it was meant to drill into a ship's hull and plant a keg of powder, which would be detonated by a time fuse.

Getting in for a closer look, the vessel discovered Friday is 12 feet deep about 8 feet wide. There is a fiberglass shell around some wooden slats and you can see the metal hatch on top.

When we asked if this thing is safe, Lt. Smerina said not a chance.

"Clearly the vessel they were found in is unsafe," Smerina said. "They had no means of steering, very limited if any propulsion and no means of getting out of vessel traffic."

Riley's friends describe him as artistic, inventive and driven, but do not consider him a menace.

"He wouldn't have done anything that was going to kill him or hurt anyone else," Emily Miranda said.

Added friend Dimitri Trinnel: "A toy for the guys, just having fun with it, that's all."

So no big deal. Of course the Only Ones are upset that nobody asked them for permission so they will find something to charge him with.