Search Underway for Titanic Tourist Submarine

Go-NoGo said:
It is my understanding that implosion events are notorious for their tremendous energy and a very loud sound which has it's unique sound signature. Considering the capabilities of the US Navy's sonar assets, which are designed to detect and track Russian submarines, it seems highly likely that they would have picked up any implosion event. Especially in that area as Russian subs might traverse that area after coming through GIUK gap towards the east coast.

However, there have been no media reports citing naval sources discussing such sounds. This absence of information leads me to consider an alternative conclusion: the submersible may have encountered a different type of event, such as a loss of power, loss of control, or even a fire onboard. While the exact cause remains unknown, the lack of reported implosion sounds suggests that a different scenario for the loss of contact.

Just my opinion, I am not a SME on this, and I know other people on this board who know a lot more about this !
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Even if the navy "heard something" they may not be discussing it with the media until/unless it is confirmed to be an implosion. Why add to the panic and speculation already running rampant? Why subject the families to that kind of mental anguish unless they know for sure what happened?

We (the general public) don't necessarily have access to everything that is happening, despite our insatiable desire for instant information about absolutely everything.
 
Gumby’s comment on safety in the big nuclear powered Boomer subs reminded me of this off topic interesting fact.

SCRAM. I recently learned where that term came from. The first reactor had a cadmium rod tied to a rope above the reactor fuel. A guy with an axe stood by in the event the reaction ran away from its controllers. His job was to cut the rope with the axe and let the rod fall into the fuel pile. That would instantly kill all fission. He was called the Safety Control Rod Axe Man. Or Scram for short.

I imagine keeping that axe sharp was a very important part of his job.
 
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frayne said:
In other words the CF and titanium are glued together !
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Nothing wrong with that: it's standard for these kinds of structures. You really want to avoid having to put holes in prepreg and/or filament wound fiber reinforced composites for rivets, screws or bolts. Ideally, your design will avoid tensile stresses perpendicular to the fiber direction and instead have the adhesive joint in a state of shear or compression. It also sounds like they had contracted with an experienced manufacturer of thick-walled filament wound composites (Spencer Composites Corp.)
 
easysurfer said:
It still gets me that there wasn't another duplicate model. Makes me wonder now did they even test the vessel beside trial and error. Fix when broken. Patch up here, patch up there.
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I guess it's no worse than the Shuttle with the o-rings freezing up. Shouldn't have happened but...
 
Just spoke with a relative who suggested the lack of or faulty locator beacon may be part of assassination attempt. Always room for more conspiracy theories.
 
Sanstar said:
Just spoke with a relative who suggested the lack of or faulty locator beacon may be part of assassination attempt. Always room for more conspiracy theories.
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Yeah, that one sounds like Looney Tunes or Twilight Zone.:ROFLMAO:
 
As far as hearing an implosive failure, that does not address a relatively slow leak failure mode. it could spring a leak that would be catastrophic but not a big bang. Once it failed and is full of seawater nothing will bring it to the surface, no automated ballast jettisoning feature, etc.
 
Koolau said:
I guess it's no worse than the Shuttle with the o-rings freezing up. Shouldn't have happened but...
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If you look at the photo I posted #45, with the nose cone open, the front ring looks like it only has one groove. Presumably for one O ring.

Besides freezing how many other failure modes for O rings? Pinch, stretch, gouge, ......

If "banging" noises are supposedly man made, the thing may still be intact.
Am sure sub will be found, brought up and examined in excrutiating detail.
Likely will be brought up upside down, skids look lile the place to grapple.
 
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I find I have zero sympathy for the situation.
My first reaction was "Rich adventure tourists paying $250K each to desecrate an underwater grave."

Then I learned they were in a "sub" built (not going to use the word "designed" in this case as it's an insult to engineers) by a CEO who laughed in an interview about refusing to hire experienced "50 year old white guys" because "they are not inspiring" (his words) and refusing to have the machine reviewed and certified because it hampered innovation.

No need to speculate on causes as it's a miracle it survived previous trips.

My only question is where to send the bill for the search costs.
 
Spock said:
I find I have zero sympathy for the situation.
My first reaction was "Rich adventure tourists paying $250K each to desecrate an underwater grave."

Then I learned they were in a "sub" built (not going to use the word "designed" in this case as it's an insult to engineers) by a CEO who laughed in an interview about refusing to hire experienced "50 year old white guys" because "they are not inspiring" (his words) and refusing to have the machine reviewed and certified because it hampered innovation.

No need to speculate on causes as it's a miracle it survived previous trips.

My only question is where to send the bill for the search costs.
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While it's sad, I always wonder what makes the lives of these 5 people so much more valuable than almost anyone else? Affluent people who chose to engage in a risky activity. This happens over and over again, while millions of other lives aren't newsworthy. More than 332,000 people die every day in the world, about 8,000 per day in the USA.
 
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Spock said:
I find I have zero sympathy for the situation.
My first reaction was "Rich adventure tourists paying $250K each to desecrate an underwater grave."

Then I learned they were in a "sub" built (not going to use the word "designed" in this case as it's an insult to engineers) by a CEO who laughed in an interview about refusing to hire experienced "50 year old white guys" because "they are not inspiring" (his words) and refusing to have the machine reviewed and certified because it hampered innovation.

No need to speculate on causes as it's a miracle it survived previous trips.

My only question is where to send the bill for the search costs.
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I agree with your opinions on the "builder" of the unit. "Stupid is as stupid does" as Forest Gump said. Still I DO feel sympathy for the occupants and their families. No amount of money insulates you from the human condition.
 
Midpack said:
While it's sad, I always wonder what makes the lives of these 5 people so much more valuable than almost anyone else? This happens over and over again, while millions of others aren't newsworthy...
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There is an op-ed today on exactly that using the recent migrant boat sinking off Greece with hundreds killed as an example.
 
Spock said:
There is an op-ed today on exactly that using the recent migrant boat sinking off Greece with hundreds killed as an example.
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Your comparison is better than mine.

I was going to compare the extent of searching for these 5 people, to when DW & I were trapped in Bryce Canyon parking lot as we had returned after dark by missing the last shuttle due to a time zone change we didn't realize.

NOBODY looked for us, as they locked the gates to trap our car , the ONLY car in the parking lot.
We could have been injured on the trails, or fallen down a slope. There was a reason our car was in the lot... but the dumb workers didn't care.

Guess if I was a Billionaire, I would have gotten a better response :facepalm:
 
Midpack said:
While it's sad, I always wonder what makes the lives of these 5 people so much more valuable than almost anyone else? Affluent people who chose to engage in a risky activity. This happens over and over again, while millions of other lives aren't newsworthy. More than 332,000 people die every day in the world, about 8,000 per day in the USA.
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Who said their lives are more valuable? Having compassion for one (or five) doesn’t take away from the inherent value of others.
 
Spock said:
There is an op-ed today on exactly that using the recent migrant boat sinking off Greece with hundreds killed as an example.
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I don't think we can wrap our minds around hundreds of people's experience - especially in a situation we can't imagine being in. I can't picture myself clinging to an overloaded boat, escaping a wretched life, hoping to reach a place of relative safety and blessedness. I can acknowledge the situation for others, but can't put myself in that picture.

Same for the Titanic itself. That many people makes it difficult to put yourself in their place. BUT Rose and Jack, you can identify with and feel their feelings, almost experience the cold and claustrophobia. You know instinctively what's going to happen at the end, yet you hope and identify.

I think it's the same in this situation. It's truly part of the human condition though YMMV.
 
Good news.
We know where they are (approximately).
The next tourist sub going down will probably find them and can bring back souvenirs, like people have been doing from the Titanic :eek:

This has probably doubled the tourist attraction feature of that dive site ;)
 
Why has this become a bash the rich thread? We are better than that. People who have loved ones are likely dead.
 
Sea-bot (kind of like a US Navy Roomba for the ocean bottom) found a debris field. Under evaluation if related to the vessel or not. IMO, not a good sign.
 
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