Who is going to buy this 541-foot luxury submarine?

For Christian Gumpold, the future of superyachts is underwater. Not figuratively—in fact, the superyacht industry has never been healthier, with a 20% sales increase in 2023—but literally. “I believe that submersible superyachts effectively address the rising and new needs of owners and that they represent the future of yachting for ‘ultra high net worth individuals,” says Gumpold. You know, the Jeff Bezos and Elon Musks of the world, who are one submarine and one volcano lair away from becoming Dr. Evil’s less funny doppelgänger.

Gumpold is the CEO of Migaloo, an Austrian company that calls itself a “private submersible yacht” design studio. And the futuristic ship that Gumpold speaks of is the M5, a luxurious leisure vessel that, at 541 feet, is just few meters shy of the new Columbia-class attack submarines that will soon become the new cornerstone of the United States strategic nuclear triad. 

Which begs the question: If the new U.S. atomic shark costs $9.15 billion dollars per unit, how much will the M5 cost? Even without the nuclear reactor that powers the Columbia, its military-grade equipment, or its Trident ICBM launchers, the M5 can’t be cheap. So after seeing this luxury sub, I just couldn’t resist reaching out to Gumpold via email to ask two very basic questions about the M5: How much will this thing cost? And how crazy rich—and plain crazy—do you have to be to buy it?

An astronomical ‘custom’ price

“There is no specific project sum, as each design is developed in close collaboration with the clients and their unique and individual desires,” Gumpold says. Gumpold says the process begins with the future owner and the designer choosing the specific features, materials, and internal layout of the ship, as is common in superyacht design.

“Only after a Concept Design has been developed, key parties such as shipyards, interior designers [and other providers] are able to estimate their costs, gradually forming the overall project price,” he says. He tells me that superyachts over 420 feet have a typical project volume of several hundred million dollars. “A submersible superyacht like the M5 naturally falls into this category, and any prospective owner must be aware of this,” he points out. “The target audience for submersible superyachts consists of individuals with or without superyacht experience in the realm of UHNIs (ultra high-net-worth individuals) and billionaires.”

In Gumpold’s mind, these submersible superyachts are the future vessels for this particular audience, who increasingly look for total independence and secrecy of their whereabouts. Only a very few people in the world would be able to commission the M5. Not even everyone in the Forbes’ 2023 billionaire list can get one, as you will need to have pockets deep enough to sink a couple billion into this luxury sub and then maintain it.

A (semi) realistic design

Gumpold insists the design of the M5 is not a pie in the sky concept. Few things about the M5 submarine are experimental, he says. Rather, the design would combine existing submarine and superyacht technologies, and existing shipyards could build them. “General feasibility and safety is given, with double hull construction and several pressure hulls,” he says. “Additionally, we do not employ new or experimental technologies, but rather industry-standard solutions [for things like propulsion].” This includes standard technology used in superyachts, with diesel engines that power the large batteries needed for underwater operation.

Looking at the design, though, it’s hard to believe that this underwater hotel could really come to fruition. And yet, Gumpold says all the pieces are already in place to construct the superyacht. The intense, owner-centric design process, he says, is “specially structured to involve key partners, such as shipyards, construction experts, classification societies, and flag states very early in the design process.” This allows them to address all technical and legal parameters to be met in the concept sesign phase, he adds. 

In fact, according to Gumpold, they are already “in negotiations with several interested parties worldwide who have a significant interest in the concept of a Submersible Superyacht. They aim to be the first individuals globally to own and utilize this innovative product.” When I ask Gumpold who, he declined to share. “Unfortunately, I cannot disclose more information at this time,” he says.

Are these mystery superyacht submarine customers real? It’s impossible to say. After all, you don’t buy a submersible yacht to be seen. But we can hope that this absurd display of wealth will find its way to Elon Musk, who I would love to see dressed as Captain Stubing. Dear Universe, please, please make this happen.