OT: Scary submersible story

[18IsTheMan]

Boy, this does not sound good. Intense search and rescue going on, but how in the world do you find something that small under the ocean? It's hard enough looking for something on the surface. They are looking for a 21 foot object and have no real idea where it could be, other than the general vicinity of the launch site. I'm just not even sure where you'd begin. Prayers they are found safely.

I saw the submersible in question had a maximum depth of 13,123 feet while the Titanic sits about 12,600 feet deep. I'd want more than a 500 foot cushion if I were doing that.

 

[Backscrather]

Smart enough people to build a sub but not put a back up tracking device in it. Must have went to Harvard.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I would assume there's a reason such an obvious safety measure was not included in the design. This thing was diving to a depth of of over 3,000 meters. Navy subs only go as deep as about 600 meters absolute max.

I, for one, don't really get the infatuation with Titanic. It sank in 1912. Some places say they want to study the wreckage to learn more about how/why it sank, how it struck the iceberg etc? Why? There's nothing we can benefit from studying it. Technology has taken an astronomical leap forward since then, so there's zero benefit from a safety perspective. Nobody alive today needs closure on the incident. I understand it's just a fascinating story, but I can't imagine why people dumps tens of millions of dollars into studying/exploring it.

 

[Spinal Tap]

If they're alive it has to be worst-nightmare terrifying.

 

[18IsTheMan]

If they're alive it has to be worst-nightmare terrifying.

I can't imagine many things more terrifying than being stuck at the bottom of the ocean, with a limited oxygen supply, beyond the reach of all but a small handful of other vessels in the entire world.

Sadly, the most likely scenario is some kind of catastrophic hull damage. However, they say at the depth the submersible was when it lost contact, you'd be dead before you realized there was a problem.

 

[ToddFlanders]

I would assume there's a reason such an obvious safety measure was not included in the design. This thing was diving to a depth of of over 3,000 meters. Navy subs only go as deep as about 600 meters absolute max.

I, for one, don't really get the infatuation with Titanic. It sank in 1912. Some places say they want to study the wreckage to learn more about how/why it sank, how it struck the iceberg etc? Why? There's nothing we can benefit from studying it. Technology has taken an astronomical leap forward since then, so there's zero benefit from a safety perspective. Nobody alive today needs closure on the incident. I understand it's just a fascinating story, but I can't imagine why people dumps tens of millions of dollars into studying/exploring it.

I was actually thinking the same thing about the Titanic - incredible story, but the story is over. There's not really anything to gain at this point. And it's not even like you're gazing upon some ancient civilization. Or that the Titanic was so much bigger than any ship at the time - they built three almost the exact same size at the same time.

 

[ToddFlanders]

Smart enough people to build a sub but not put a back up tracking device in it. Must have went to Harvard.

I'm sure there is something on there, but all the things that could go wrong at that depth could certainly incapacitate any number of systems. A hull collapse would then subject everything on the inside of the submersible to the pressure that most likely only the hull was made to withstand.

 

[will110]

I was actually thinking the same thing about the Titanic - incredible story, but the story is over. There's not really anything to gain at this point. And it's not even like you're gazing upon some ancient civilization. Or that the Titanic was so much bigger than any ship at the time - they built three almost the exact same size at the same time.

And it's not like there haven't been plenty of more recent ship sinking disasters. Nobody remembers those. Interesting point you make, I wonder what has kept it so culturally relevant a century+ later.

 

[ToddFlanders]

And it's not like there haven't been plenty of more recent ship sinking disasters. Nobody remembers those. Interesting point you make, I wonder what has kept it so culturally relevant a century+ later.

I would bet that it's because of how long it took to find it - it drug out the interest for so long. For almost 70 years it was stayed at the forefront of shipwrecks (and imaginations across the globe) because the unsinkable ship still hasn't been found. It just added to its lore. But now they've found it, know all about what happened, etc.

$250,000 is how much it costs to go down and look for yourself. I'd imagine that business dries up fast - even if the crew is rescued.

 

[Gradstudent]

There's nothing we can benefit from studying it. Technology has taken an astronomical leap forward since then, so there's zero benefit from a safety perspective. Nobody alive today needs closure on the incident. I understand it's just a fascinating story, but I can't imagine why people dumps tens of millions of dollars into studying/exploring it.

From what I read it was more of a tourism submarine, 8 days $250K, Hamish Harding who was on it, is a billionaire. One of the richest people in Pakistan and his son was on it as well.

 

[Backscrather]

Holy **** they did go to harvard @Harvard Gamecock

OceanGate Home

oceangate.com

Scott Parazynski, MD​

Board Member​

Dr. Scott Parazynski is a highly decorated physician, astronaut, best-selling author (“The Sky Below”) and tech CEO. He is a widely sought after keynote speaker on innovation, risk management, mentorship and leadership under extreme adversity.

Scott has lived and traveled all over the world, spending many of his grade school years in places such as Senegal, Lebanon, Iran and Greece. A graduate of Stanford University and Medical School, he went on to train at Harvard and in Denver for a career in emergency medicine and trauma.

Dianna received an MBA from Harvard Business School

 

[Yard_Pimps]

You get to go down and see it on a tv screen in an apparatus controlled by a Logitech remote control from Walmart.

Little late if you need proof see above lol.

 

[18IsTheMan]

From what I read it was more of a tourism submarine, 8 days $250K, Hamish Harding who was on it, is a billionaire. One of the richest people in Pakistan and his son was on it as well.

Yeah, this particular incident was a tourism thing. In general, though, I don't see the point of investing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars into studying it. Other than satisfying curiosity, there is absolutely nothing to be gleaned from it.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

Smart enough people to build a sub but not put a back up tracking device in it. Must have went to Harvard.

Holy **** they did go to harvard @Harvard Gamecock

OceanGate Home

oceangate.com

Scott Parazynski, MD​

Board Member​

Dr. Scott Parazynski is a highly decorated physician, astronaut, best-selling author (“The Sky Below”) and tech CEO. He is a widely sought after keynote speaker on innovation, risk management, mentorship and leadership under extreme adversity.

Scott has lived and traveled all over the world, spending many of his grade school years in places such as Senegal, Lebanon, Iran and Greece. A graduate of Stanford University and Medical School, he went on to train at Harvard and in Denver for a career in emergency medicine and trauma.

Dianna received an MBA from Harvard Business School

Ahh, the irony, calling me out (for reasons only you can explain) and yet you can't even keep up with your own narrative, of who designed and built the submersible.
Classic.

(For your clarification, in this case a member of the board was not part of the R&D team)

 

[Backscrather]

Ahh, the irony, calling me out (for reasons only you can explain) and yet you can't even keep up with your own narrative, of who designed and built the submersible.
Classic.

(For your clarification, in this case a member of the board was not part of the R&D team)

The board has nothing to do with the R&D team. Got it.

 

[Snake006]

Giant Squid got'em

 

[Fried Chicken]

And it's not like there haven't been plenty of more recent ship sinking disasters. Nobody remembers those. Interesting point you make, I wonder what has kept it so culturally relevant a century+ later.

 

[KingWard]

They had 70 hours of air supply from early yesterday. If they are still alive and the air supply hasn't been breached, it will soon be dire.

 

[Fried Chicken]

They had 70 hours of air supply from early yesterday. If they are still alive and the air supply hasn't been breached, it will soon be dire.

Can’t imagine 70 hours of air supply

 

[18IsTheMan]

Scary thing is that it was only the 3rd trip down for this submersible. On a trip last year, it lost communication for 2.5 hours and the tour had to be aborted. I mean, if I were the risk-taking type and I had the money to waste, maybe I'd do this if it had a track record of hundreds of successful dives without incident. But 3 dives in which one of them was aborted due to lost communication? No way.

 

[18IsTheMan]

You get to go down and see it on a tv screen in an apparatus controlled by a Logitech remote control from Walmart.

Little late if you need proof see above lol.

Pretty wild.

The Missing Titanic Submarine Was Using A $30 Video Game Controller

The controller, which was shown in videos about the sub before it launched with slightly modified thumbsticks, is a Logitech G F710, currently available on Amazon as a “renewed” (refurbished) version for $30.

www.forbes.com

Why in the world would you build a submarine that cost tens of millions of dollars to then have it controlled by a $30 video game controller. Whether the controller had to do with the malfunction, it's a bad, bad look for the company.

 

[Prestonyte]

Scary thing is that it was only the 3rd trip down for this submersible. On a trip last year, it lost communication for 2.5 hours and the tour had to be aborted. I mean, if I were the risk-taking type and I had the money to waste, maybe I'd do this if it had a track record of hundreds of successful dives without incident. But 3 dives in which one of them was aborted due to lost communication? No way.

Obviously not governed by any kind of safety regulations and just doing their own thing. Wow, should have been grounded by someone you would think.
Passengers with more money than $ence!

 

[Backscrather]

Pretty wild.

The Missing Titanic Submarine Was Using A $30 Video Game Controller

The controller, which was shown in videos about the sub before it launched with slightly modified thumbsticks, is a Logitech G F710, currently available on Amazon as a “renewed” (refurbished) version for $30.

www.forbes.com

Why in the world would you build a submarine that cost tens of millions of dollars to then have it controlled by a $30 video game controller. Whether the controller had to do with the malfunction, it's a bad, bad look for the company.

Harvard education.

 

[will110]

View attachment 354677

Good point. And I've never even seen the movie...

 

[18IsTheMan]

Obviously not governed by any kind of safety regulations and just doing their own thing. Wow, should have been grounded by someone you would think.
Passengers with more money than $ence!

A waiver signed by all passengers states: "This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma, or death."

 

[Go Gamecocks]

A waiver signed by all passengers states: "This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma, or death."

 

[18IsTheMan]

This is from an expedition last year in the same sub...yet they still went down again:

David Pogue, a CBS News correspondent, said that last year the submersible got “lost on the sea floor for a few hours,” when he was on an OceanGate expedition to visit the Titanic’s resting place.

“On my expedition last summer, they did indeed get lost for about 5 hours,” Pogue tweeted Monday. A segment on the trip aired in November.

Pogue wasn’t in the submersible, but was in a control room on a ship at the surface at the time.

He noted the submersible never lost communication with its mother ship. He said the Titan didn’t have a beacon similar to an aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter, but “such a beacon was discussed.”

“They could still send short texts to the sub, but did not know where it was. It was quiet and very tense, and they shut off the ship’s internet to prevent us from tweeting,” he said Monday. The company claimed it was to keep all channels open in case of a serious emergency, Pogue said.

Highlights from Day One as the search for the missing Titanic submersible continues

Coverage on this live blog has ended. Please click here for the latest updates.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[18IsTheMan]

Also read it was confirmed that the OceanGate CEO is onboard the submersible. That means, if the worst case has happened and they are dead, he'll never have to answer for the risk and failures.

 

[Prestonyte]

Also read it was confirmed that the OceanGate CEO is onboard the submersible. That means, if the worst case has happened and they are dead, he'll never have to answer for the risk and failures.

I'm certain he would rather answer questions.

 

[Backscrather]

What's the insurance policy look like?

 

[Lurker123]

Pretty wild.

The Missing Titanic Submarine Was Using A $30 Video Game Controller

The controller, which was shown in videos about the sub before it launched with slightly modified thumbsticks, is a Logitech G F710, currently available on Amazon as a “renewed” (refurbished) version for $30.

www.forbes.com

Why in the world would you build a submarine that cost tens of millions of dollars to then have it controlled by a $30 video game controller. Whether the controller had to do with the malfunction, it's a bad, bad look for the company.

I read an article years ago where the military was considering (or starting to) use x box controllers for Drone pilots. The thought mentioned was that the controllers have had a lot of thought put into them, and the people running the Drone would be used to them after years of playing games.

No idea how serious it was, but I can see using a controller like that for something like this. I also get that it looks odd.

 

[Lurker123]

And it's not like there haven't been plenty of more recent ship sinking disasters. Nobody remembers those. Interesting point you make, I wonder what has kept it so culturally relevant a century+ later.

I have enjoyed wreck diving, but that was with scuba gear. I feel no need to get in a sub and go that deep to see a wreck.

 

[gamecock stock]

I saw the 1997 film "Titanic". So I have absolutely no reason to get in a submarine to view the Titanic.

 

[Tngamecock]

I would assume there's a reason such an obvious safety measure was not included in the design. This thing was diving to a depth of of over 3,000 meters. Navy subs only go as deep as about 600 meters absolute max.

I, for one, don't really get the infatuation with Titanic. It sank in 1912. Some places say they want to study the wreckage to learn more about how/why it sank, how it struck the iceberg etc? Why? There's nothing we can benefit from studying it. Technology has taken an astronomical leap forward since then, so there's zero benefit from a safety perspective. Nobody alive today needs closure on the incident. I understand it's just a fascinating story, but I can't imagine why people dumps tens of millions of dollars into studying/exploring it.

Go watch the cbs story on that very sub from several months ago. This dude built his own contraption….got some help on a few aspects, but you tell me if any sane person would get in it. They seal u In using bolts from the outside. He uses an Xbox controller. One lady’s trip was canceled 3 times for mechanical issues. There’s your sign.

 

[Tngamecock]

This is from an expedition last year in the same sub...yet they still went down again:

David Pogue, a CBS News correspondent, said that last year the submersible got “lost on the sea floor for a few hours,” when he was on an OceanGate expedition to visit the Titanic’s resting place.

“On my expedition last summer, they did indeed get lost for about 5 hours,” Pogue tweeted Monday. A segment on the trip aired in November.

Pogue wasn’t in the submersible, but was in a control room on a ship at the surface at the time.

He noted the submersible never lost communication with its mother ship. He said the Titan didn’t have a beacon similar to an aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter, but “such a beacon was discussed.”

“They could still send short texts to the sub, but did not know where it was. It was quiet and very tense, and they shut off the ship’s internet to prevent us from tweeting,” he said Monday. The company claimed it was to keep all channels open in case of a serious emergency, Pogue said.

Highlights from Day One as the search for the missing Titanic submersible continues

Coverage on this live blog has ended. Please click here for the latest updates.

www.nbcnews.com

Sounds about right

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

I have enjoyed wreck diving, but that was with scuba gear. I feel no need to get in a sub and go that deep to see a wreck.

I dived the Vanderberg in Key West, went down to the main deck at around 95ft. I've breached 100 ft a couple of times (barely), and that is about as far as I wish to go.

 

[accock]

A float balloon to the top would have been a good idea.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I read an article years ago where the military was considering (or starting to) use x box controllers for Drone pilots. The thought mentioned was that the controllers have had a lot of thought put into them, and the people running the Drone would be used to them after years of playing games.

No idea how serious it was, but I can see using a controller like that for something like this. I also get that it looks odd.

Yeah, I read an article that said much the same. Game controllers like XBox are increasingly popular, even in military applications for the reason you mention and also bc their easily compatible with Microsoft applications. But the same article noted that the controller used in this sub was outdated.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Go watch the cbs story on that very sub from several months ago. This dude built his own contraption….got some help on a few aspects, but you tell me if any sane person would get in it. They seal u In using bolts from the outside. He uses an Xbox controller. One lady’s trip was canceled 3 times for mechanical issues. There’s your sign.

Read that he used some off-the-shelf components from Camping World.

 

[Go Gamecocks]

Apparently 2 former employees had previously shared concerns about hull thickness of the vessel. Neither appeared to be engineers, but that may not be relevant.
Seems the carbon fiber hull was 5" thick, but was supposed to be 7"?
The overall design seems pretty flimsy for that incredible depth (13,000').