Tourist(s) missing in submarine while trying to reach the Titannic

[Ming the Merciless]

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/u-s-coa...-sub-1.6446841

A search and rescue operation is currently underway to locate a submarine that went missing during an expedition to the Titanic.
The U.S. Coast Guard was looking for the submarine Monday morning after it disappeared during the expedition from St. John's, N.L. The infamous 1912 wreck is located more than 600 kilometres southeast of the province in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The trip to the Titanic was being run by OceanGate Expeditions, a U.S.-based company. It uses a five-person submersible named Titan to reach the wreckage 3,800 metres below the surface. OceanGate's website advertises a seven-night voyage to the Titanic for US$250,000 per person, or approximately CA$330,000.
"We are exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely," an OceanGate spokesperson said in an email to CTV News. "Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families."


Those tours are a series of five eight-day missions to the Titanic with the money raised by tourists going towards Titanic research. Posts on social media show the ship launched from the St. John's area last week.

Did they really have 5 people in this?? Or do they have a larger version??

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Yeah, at this point, I find it very unlikely that the submersible will make it to the surface. And even if it does, it would still have to be retrieved to be unsealed to let oxygen in so they don't suffocate since it was bolted down...

I don't think it's likely that it's caught on debris near the Titanic and I believe that at some point between Sunday and now that it imploded due to a breach.

The more i think about it the more likely it seems that its probably and equipment failure. Total loss of comms. Dead batteries?

[Otter]

Originally Posted by Kiimosabi

Cracking open and drowning sounds awful

but preferable to some of the other ways to go down there

The good news is at that depth you could use the incoming water as an impromptu guillotine to expedite the inevitable.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

The more i think about it the more likely it seems that its probably and equipment failure. Total loss of comms. Dead batteries?

If it was only equipment failure and somehow they lost power, they still should have surfaced by now due to one of the ballasts releasing sand bags automatically after 14 hours.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Here's what I don't get - don't we have extremely powerful sonar sensors all over the place out there?

If it imploded, those sensors are gonna pick up the noise. It's not gonna be a gentle squish.

Yet it seems like governments (us included) are still sending help out there. So wouldn't that suggest that we don't think it crumpled up like a beer can?

The absolute worst possibility would seem to be getting to the surface, being lost because your tether snapped and slowly asphyxiating while you're literally above the water.

Not for that depth of the ocean.

[Ming the Merciless]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

The more i think about it the more likely it seems that its probably and equipment failure. Total loss of comms. Dead batteries?

even if it was total equipment failure and dead batteries , they had a mechanical system to ballast their way to the surface that ran via a sand clock that didnt require batteries.


so to me losing all of the redundant systems, even the non electric means its probably total hull failure / implosion

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by Pawnmower

even if it was total equipment failure and dead batteries , they had a mechanical system to ballast their way to the surface that ran via a sand clock that didnt require batteries.


so to me losing all of the redundant systems, even the non electric means its probably total hull failure / implosion

Do you trust this companies " fail proof ballast"? I dont. Hell they couldnt get the reporter down 300 feet for the biggest free exposure they could ever ask for, aside from this catastrophe.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

Do you trust this companies " fail proof ballast"? I dont. Hell they couldnt get the reporter down 300 feet for the biggest free exposure they could ever ask for, aside from this catastrophe.

I wouldn't trust this company at all and the only thing that I would trust is probably the cause of the failure, which is the casing that they consulted NASA, University of Washington, and Boeing with.

[ptlyon]

Chalk another one up as "shit happens"

[Dunerdr]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

I wouldn't trust this company at all and the only thing that I would trust is probably the cause of the failure, which is the casing that they consulted NASA, University of Washington, and Boeing with.

Thats where im at. The shell seems to have some outside input from reputable sources. And the internal probably did too but its run off a ****ing video game controller. We did get to the moon with less tech, but it makes me think they got some college stoner to make it work for them like an underwater drone.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

The more i think about it the more likely it seems that its probably and equipment failure. Total loss of comms. Dead batteries?

The sandbag ballast should be completely mechanical, though. Dead batteries wouldn't do that.

Either they imploded, they're caught up in wreckage or they've surfaced somewhere and nobody can find them.

At this point, knowing a little more about the redundant ballast systems, I don't see it as very likely that they're just resting on the bottom somewhere.

EDIT: I see Pawnmower beat me to it - carry on, lads...

[Rams Fan]

My Googling today led me to this article about deep-sea diving and caving:

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoo.../raising-dead/

And that was at ~900 feet.

Imagine the pressure at 10K+ feet....

[Otter]

Originally Posted by Bwana

Gee, giant shock this thing didn't work. It reminds me of something a weekend warrior would knock out in his garage.

When the guy is bragging instead of rationalizing why a sub going 2 miles under the ocean is powered by a wireless Nintendo controller and who knows what else other discount store equipment I'm out.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

If you all want to read the gnarliest description of a worksite incident ever, look up the explosive decompression known as the Byford Dolphin Incident.

Yikes!

[Kiimo]

Is this guy from Don't Look Up running the company

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Dunerdr

Thats where im at. The shell seems to have some outside input from reputable sources. And the internal probably did too but its run off a ****ing video game controller. We did get to the moon with less tech, but it makes me think they got some college stoner to make it work for them like an underwater drone.

The thing that stands out to me is they don't really have a contingency plan if shit goes south. Like, they literally have no way of retrieving the submersible because there's hardly any technology out there that's meant to deal with that depth of the ocean.

Additionally, there's no way out. They're bolted in. Even if best case scenario their comms failed and they are somehow alive, they have no way of getting out unless somehow they're retrieved in time and unbolted.

[JohnnyHammersticks]

Since all 5 of them are probably the size of a postage stamp right now, at least the burial expenses should be pretty cheap. Wonder if anyone makes caskets the size of a match box?