To submerge, the Batboat's foils retract to reduce parasitic drag. The storyline involved Scotland Yard providing Batman and Robin with the boat in order to speed their search for the villainous Professor Moriarty. The first official Batboat made its debut in April 1946 (in Detective Comics #110). In what was later regarded as an "extreme measure", Batman destroyed their launch with a bow-mounted flame-thrower. Background Įarly in his career, while investigating arms dealers operating along the wharves of Gotham City's Chinatown district, Batman used a prototype Batboat to pursue the fleeing criminals. In Sub-Level 6 of the Batcave, there's an aqua-dynamic hydrofoil/ submersible (otherwise known as the Batboat) on both the navigable Gotham River and the Atlantic Ocean's waters.
The life-support includes oxygen/helium mixes for deep-water submersion. There are also emergency tanks that allow an added twelve hours of life-support. Oxygen tanks provide up to six hours of breathable air. This mini submarine does not have armament and is only equipped with a search headlight.Įnvironment systems include CO 2-scrubbers and air-conditioning units in the Bat-Submersible's stern. In the 1995 film Batman Forever, a version of the Batwing is shown to have a cockpit that can transform into a submersible vehicle should the air vehicle be shot down. The Batsub (or Bat-Sub) is another fictional watercraft along with the Batboat used by the comic superhero Batman for alternative transportation purposes. Batman and Robin employed the Bat-Sub in order to net Tiger Shark.
The Bat-Submersible (or "Batsub") made its debut in May 1949 in Detective Comics #147. The Batstrike carries submerged speeds in excess of 5 knots. The Batstrike is a neutral-buoyancy undersea scooter. It also has a radar, which can be used by Batman to monitor each area of Gotham City. It is a single-seater and has the same extras as the Batmobile, including torpedo launchers. The Batskiboat's design is a cross between the film's Batmobile, a Killer whale and the figure of a shark.
Batman uses the jet-powered hydrofoil near the climax of the film to travel through Gotham's sewer system towards the Penguin's lair. The Batskiboat is a version of the Batboat in the 1992 live-action film Batman Returns.