Titanic tourist sub goes missing

[Mr Angry 1,563]

I’m not sure what I think about this story-on the one hand, it’s a possible tragedy unfolding-and on the other hand, it’s a company making money from ghoulish billionaires.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65953872

[Daz Sparks 1,154]

(Morbid) Curiosity killed the cat?

[canarydan23 4,060]

Pay a six-figure sum to have a butchers at a rotten old ship at the bottom of the ocean, or a couple of grand to actually sleep in a fully functional one that has a cinema, shopping mall, swimming pools and choice of restaurants.

I really hope the poor (certainly not in a fiscal sense) bastards are rescued, but it's not far off a Darwin Award nomination.

[MooreMarriot 311]

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-06-19/british-man-hamish-harding-on-board-missing-titanic-submersible

[KiwiScot 1,450]

Makes me think of the Kursk. The more you think about it the more you realise they won't be coming back alive if at all. But of course everyone thought those boys in the Thai cave were thought lost and they all survived.

[Yellow Fever 3,793]

I'm surprised it doesn't have an orange 'black box' and active sonar emergency beacon (same as aircraft) in the event of lost power or what sadly looks like catastrophic failure.  

Edited June 20, 2023 by Yellow Fever

[dylanisabaddog 4,932]

7 minutes ago, KiwiScot said:

Makes me think of the Kursk. The more you think about it the more you realise they won't be coming back alive if at all. But of course everyone thought those boys in the Thai cave were thought lost and they all survived.

Saw an excellent film about the cave rescue but can't remember the name. 

I'm listening to 5Live at the moment. Experts have little or no confidence that there will be a successful rescue. What a horrible way to go. 

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

That there appears to be no communication isn't a good sign.

[Yellowfuture 71]

It’s a strange emotion when you think the hundreds who lost their lives at sea last week off the Greek coast.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,742]

 

[Virtual reality 712]

3 hours ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by Virtual reality

[Wings of a Sparrow 1,419]

I can't imagine what's going through those poor people's minds. Knowing their oxygen supply is slowly running out...

I said to the missus, I wonder if there are life ending pills on board...

[Google Bot 3,278]

25 minutes ago, Wings of a Sparrow said:

I can't imagine what's going through those poor people's minds. Knowing their oxygen supply is slowly running out...

An expert said on radio earlier that they're bolted in from the outside, with no way of opening it from inside.

So even if they were bobbing up and down a few meters from the surface of the water they'd still not be able to get out and swim up for air.  Terrifying.

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,138]

Nobody on any news site has mentioned how they would actually go about a rescue if the sub was found. The logistics of it would be a nightmare and borderline impossible at such short notice, military subs can't go to 1/6th the depth that thing is at, how would they even get ahold of it, raise it safely to not cause pressure problems and then get everyone out in time? 

I'm the furthest thing from an expert on things like this but I can't see how on earth they can do anything to help them even if they are found

Edited June 20, 2023 by Christoph Stiepermann

[Google Bot 3,278]

16 minutes ago, Christoph Stiepermann said:

military subs can't go to 1/6th the depth that thing is at, how would they even get ahold of it, raise it safely to not cause pressure problems and then get everyone out in time? 

Listening to a guy earlier, he said that Subs are designed go come up if the power stops, not down - upward buoyant or something it's called.  So if they had a loss of power, it should slowly raise up.

But whether it be found and within the amount of oxygen available is the big question, as only radio can be achieved if the parent vessel is directly above the sub.

Basically he said that If anything that has caused the sub to sink deeper then they'd be goners anyway, as that would mean that damage has occurred and thus water entered in.

But then this looks like a bit of a special project to me, who knows if the same design rules apply to what the experts know of conventional subs(?).  That cheap Bluetooth gamepad terrifies me if it is indeed the only method of control, and there isn't some kind of touch-screen operation that can over-ride it.

Edited June 20, 2023 by Google Bot

[littleyellowbirdie 2,553]

It's strange that it's taking so long. The Titanic's in a known location 3.8km down on the sea bed there. Given that the whole point of the exercise was to visit the wreck, you'd think the submarine would be okay at 3.8km and  be fairly easy to pinpoint somewhere not too far from the Titanic - taking into account the resources they're throwing at the search -  if it had simply gone for its destination as planned and then systems failed for some unknown reason.

Has the owner committed an MH370-style suicide, taking his passengers with him?

[canarydan23 4,060]

11 hours ago, Yellowfuture said:

It’s a strange emotion when you think the hundreds who lost their lives at sea last week off the Greek coast.

Yeah, and this seems to be getting far more media attention.

We're an awful species, really, aren't we?

[KiwiScot 1,450]

One thing I'm thinking about is does it produce oxygen if say it lost power?

[Google Bot 3,278]

42 minutes ago, KiwiScot said:

One thing I'm thinking about is does it produce oxygen if say it lost power?

Isn't it just pressurised and releases over time via a valve? That's how I'd imagine it would work as it's not generating oxygen like the larger subs that stay under water for long periods.

I think the other fear if it's power loss that the temperature drops below freezing anyway, not to mention that there would be no lighting.

There's far too many horrific ways this could pan out, you just hope they're bobbing less than 100m from the surface and someone gets to them.

Edited June 20, 2023 by Google Bot

[dylanisabaddog 4,932]

10 hours ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

It's strange that it's taking so long. The Titanic's in a known location 3.8km down on the sea bed there. Given that the whole point of the exercise was to visit the wreck, you'd think the submarine would be okay at 3.8km and  be fairly easy to pinpoint somewhere not too far from the Titanic - taking into account the resources they're throwing at the search -  if it had simply gone for its destination as planned and then systems failed for some unknown reason.

Has the owner committed an MH370-style suicide, taking his passengers with him?

It seemed strange to me but apparently there are underwater tides and the search area is 5,000 square miles. Needle in a haystack, particularly as the sea is 2.5 miles deep. 

There has just been a news report quoting a former employee who stated a year ago in a court case that the missing submarine has safety flaws. 

If you're going to kill someone at the bottom of the sea, a billionaire is probably not a good choice. 

Edited June 21, 2023 by dylanisabaddog

[littleyellowbirdie 2,553]

Just now, dylanisabaddog said:

It seemed strange to me but apparently there are underwater tides and the search area is 5,000 square miles. Needle in a haystack, particularly as the sea is 2.5 miles deep. 

There has just been a news report quoting a former employee who stated a year ago in a court case that the missing submarine has safety flaws. 

Just read that sonar is picking up banging at half hour intervals as well!

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-65967464

Just from a position of knowing very little, the safety element of bolting people in from the outside when there's a possibility of losing the submersible seems aw-droppingly reckless. Have a feeling the owner is in for a lot of litigation if they're found alive!

[dylanisabaddog 4,932]

4 minutes ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

Just read that sonar is picking up banging at half hour intervals as well!

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-65967464

Just from a position of knowing very little, the safety element of bolting people in from the outside when there's a possibility of losing the submersible seems aw-droppingly reckless. Have a feeling the owner is in for a lot of litigation if they're found alive!

There is probably a boat full of solicitors waiting on the surface 

[dylanisabaddog 4,932]

7 minutes ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

Just read that sonar is picking up banging at half hour intervals as well!

I was wondering what the Barclay drummer does in the summer 

[KiwiScot 1,450]

Difficult not to judge the technical ability of the sub but all the common sense thoughts must have reasons for them not being practical. That joypad controlling it and hear things like no escape hatch. For me it's the lack of a backup sub and ability to keep track of it, but again like said.

Regards an escape hatch. If it sinks, then the pressure will kill you when you get out if the lack of oxygen on the ascent doesn't you will get the bends and be floating on the ocean dying.If it's floating more useful, but generates a ton of what if's and extra safety equipment=Not pratical due to size restrictions. I mean for me it floats to the stop you open the hatch and a big bright yellow inflatable boat springs out and you all clamber in and a beacon starts. Given how cramped the inside looked how pratical is that? Lots of unknowns

[king canary 7,609]

45 minutes ago, KiwiScot said:

Difficult not to judge the technical ability of the sub but all the common sense thoughts must have reasons for them not being practical. That joypad controlling it and hear things like no escape hatch. For me it's the lack of a backup sub and ability to keep track of it, but again like said.

Regards an escape hatch. If it sinks, then the pressure will kill you when you get out if the lack of oxygen on the ascent doesn't you will get the bends and be floating on the ocean dying.If it's floating more useful, but generates a ton of what if's and extra safety equipment=Not pratical due to size restrictions. I mean for me it floats to the stop you open the hatch and a big bright yellow inflatable boat springs out and you all clamber in and a beacon starts. Given how cramped the inside looked how pratical is that? Lots of unknowns

Yeah I was going to say- the lack of ability to open it from the inside is immaterial if they are thousands of feet under water. 

[Yellow Fever 3,793]

3 minutes ago, king canary said:

Yeah I was going to say- the lack of ability to open it from the inside is immaterial if they are thousands of feet under water. 

It's the lack of self powered underwater locator beacon as in any aircraft 'black box'  - hardly expensive - that seems negligent or at best an amazing short-sighted oversight to me. We know roughly where it must be but just need a known signal to locate for exactly this kind of situation whatever state the actual sub is in in.

[Satriales 655]

3 hours ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

Just read that sonar is picking up banging at half hour intervals as well!

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-65967464

Just from a position of knowing very little, the safety element of bolting people in from the outside when there's a possibility of losing the submersible seems aw-droppingly reckless. Have a feeling the owner is in for a lot of litigation if they're found alive!

The banging could well be them. Unfortunately they are fast running out of time until the oxygen goes. It's still a needle in a haystack to try and find them. Terrifying stuff for those people down there.

 

 

[Mello Yello 2,296]

That sub and its design and construction was an absolute recipe for disaster.....Penny pinching on it's design, equipment and assembly....but then charging extreme amounts of money to go to the extreme depths aboard it....

There should be a saline solution operated SARBE beacon not dissimilar to those that are fitted to the majority of both civil and military aircraft that are normally initiated by impact or immersion in sea water. Obviously a type of sealed 'beep beep' locater beacon that can be initiated by anyone after a pre-dive safety brief in the sub by the press of a button, or a pull of a lever usually with a battery life of 4 or 5 days should have been installed - and that's not even a bare minimum requirement in my opinion....There's a whole lot more but....anyway.....

The more I read about it the more astonished and aghast I am....

Edited June 21, 2023 by Mello Yello

[Satriales 655]

3 minutes ago, Mello Yello said:

That sub and its design and construction was an absolute recipe for disaster.....Penny pinching on it's design, equipment and assembly....but then charging extreme amounts of money to go to the extreme depths aboard it....

There should be a saline solution operated SARBE beacon not dissimilar to those that are fitted to the majority of both civil and military aircraft that are normally initiated by impact or immersion in sea water. Obviously a type of sealed 'beep beep' locater beacon that can be initiated by anyone after a pre-dive safety brief in the sub by the press of a button, or a pull of a lever usually with a battery life of 4 or 5 days should have been installed - and that's not even a bare minimum requirement in my opinion....There's a whole lot more but....anyway.....

The more I read about it the more astonished and aghast I am....

I think the extreme costs passengers pay would be to cover costs of the ship and crew which the sub is launched from? Renting a large ship and crew cannot be cheap. By the look of the sub itself, must have cost about 500 quid.

[BroadstairsR 2,179]

On 19/06/2023 at 20:34, Mr Angry said:

I’m not sure what I think about this story-on the one hand, it’s a possible tragedy unfolding-and on the other hand, it’s a company making money from ghoulish billionaires.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-65953872

What is the fascination of the Titanic wreck that such expensive risk-taking seems appropriate?

Is it a ghoulish interest in one of the most tragic maritime events in history? If so, what else?

Endless films with the latest being total dibble. A corny love story ... my a-rse.

There are thousands of wrecks off the coast where I live, and it is claimed that some are visible at certain tides. I doubt this, but the history of the Goodwin Sands is far more tragic, and interesting if you are interested in that sort of thing.

The "evil" men of Deal were notorious for visiting the sands when they saw a wreck, looting the shipwrecks and leaving the "survivors" there to be swallowed up by the seas.

In the meantime we read regularly of desperate asylum seekers drowning in the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Europe. Cannot these millions be spent in some way to alleviate this travesty of human inhumanity rather than on rich people's follies?

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwin_Sands

Edited June 21, 2023 by BroadstairsR