Sub lost contact over Titanic

I'm holding off on the plethora of potential titanic jokes until they find the sub and everyone is alright.
 
I'm not sure why all the facination over the Titanic. It was a big ship that sunk due to numerous reasons.

With this deep of a dive in an unteathered submersable, their chances are very very slim.
 
At that depth, >12,000 feet, I opine that the chances of a good outcome are slim.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Certainly the USA has approximately zero authority to stop others from helping.
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I can't find the link now, but the story I read said Magellan Limited had requested the US Air Force airlift their submersible to Newfoundland, as it couldn't get to the wreck site in time if leaving from the UK by ship. So it's not so much the US is stopping them, it just hasn't responded to the request for an airlift.
 
I got the impression that the US Navy was reluctant to get involved as it could reveal the extent of its deep water capabilities.

But what I've seen of the sub's design doesn't inspire confidence. Controlled with a video game controller... really? No thanks, I'll stick to safe things like experimental aircraft.

Oh, well, think of it as evolution in action.
 
Dana said:
But what I've seen of the sub's design doesn't inspire confidence. Controlled with a video game controller... really? No thanks, I'll stick to safe things like experimental aircraft.
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Complete tangent, but I watched a video a couple days ago of a tour of a new US submarine. The captain remarked that they found the young sailors had difficulty controlling the periscope with the $5000 joystick setup, so the new vessels now use a $50 XBOX controller, which they have found to be very intuitive.
 
Jim K said:
Complete tangent, but I watched a video a couple days ago of a tour of a new US submarine. The captain remarked that they found the young sailors had difficulty controlling the periscope with the $5000 joystick setup, so the new vessels now use a $50 XBOX controller, which they have found to be very intuitive.
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I did one of those little submersible tours (a little 600' dive off the coast of curacao to look at shipwrecks). The control panel looked surprisingly intuitive using the 2 joysticks on the left of the picture (IIRC).
The really scary part is the briefing where they talk about life support protocols if the ship breaks, and how to deal with an incapacitated sub pilot. I paid REAL close attention to those parts of the briefing.

These are all the controls on it. Made me a little nervous that so much of it was "glass panel" electrical stuff.
upload_2023-6-20_13-14-12.png
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Fingers crossed they're able to locate the Ocean Gate sub and get everyone out alive, even if they are battling tough odds.
 
Hoping for a good outcome, of course, but if it had a hull failure USN probably heard it.
 
That hull/vessel looks to be excruciatingly simple. I suspect the wireless game controller - which would make it a no-go for me, means that there are few if any penetrations to the vessel hull.

Implosion anywhere in operational depth is less likely than incapacitation of crew or failure of all electrical systems... at least to my ignorant self.
 
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Jim K said:
Complete tangent, but I watched a video a couple days ago of a tour of a new US submarine. The captain remarked that they found the young sailors had difficulty controlling the periscope with the $5000 joystick setup, so the new vessels now use a $50 XBOX controller, which they have found to be very intuitive.
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I am betting the Navy version isn't using an off the shelf bluetooth controller.
 
Grandfather was a carpenter and did work on all 3 ships in the day…

some shots of thr dry dock DSC05328.jpegDSC05325.jpegDSC05322.jpeg
 
Choosing between this thing and a Rocket from Musk or Bezos, I’ll take the Rocket every time. If something goes wrong in a Rocket, it’s likely to be over PDQ.
 
X3 Skier said:
Choosing between this thing and a Rocket from Musk or Bezos, I’ll take the Rocket every time. If something goes wrong in a Rocket, it’s likely to be over PDQ.
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Agree there. When a plane is going down maybe a min or two of awareness. Space problem super fast. This sub deal if due to technical problem and they Sitting on the bottom, imagine the shear chaos. Talk about grief stages with 4 others around same journey. Some guy there with his kid. Terrible.
 
midwestpa24 said:
I am betting the Navy version isn't using an off the shelf bluetooth controller.
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That was the other amusing part of the story....they're using the original wired version, and he said now the issue is getting them as all the new xbox controllers are wireless as you mention. I'm sure some contractor will step up and produce them....for $5000/ea....
 
hmmmmmm okay.

Los Angeles Class sub has a max depth of 3,000 feet and they don't go that deep, and they are pros. The Titanic sits in 12,000 plus feet of water, and you're going down in a carbon fiber contraption with how cycles on it?

No thanks...
 
Ventucky Red said:
hmmmmmm okay.

Los Angeles Class sub has a max depth of 3,000 feet and they don't go that deep, and they are pros. The Titanic sits in 12,000 plus feet of water, and you're going down in a carbon fiber contraption with how cycles on it?

No thanks...
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It’s crazy that there are no regs regarding this stuff. In fact the owner and current pilot was quoted in an article bemoaning the craziness of the certification process a submersible like this
 
Wouldn't there likely be some noise signature / acoustics that should be known by now if the craft was imploding???
 
benyflyguy said:
It’s crazy that there are no regs regarding this stuff. In fact the owner and current pilot was quoted in an article bemoaning the craziness of the certification process a submersible like this
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OTOH,....

Freedom isn't safe. While I hate to see anyone injured or killed, I still believe that a damfool ought to be able to take a great risk if he or she chooses, whether it's going to the bottom of the ocean in a one-off commercial sub or being shot into space on a one-off commercial rocket or getting married.

Regs should be focused more on protecting innocent bystanders and less on protecting damfool participants from themselves.
 
Jim K said:
now the issue is getting them as all the new xbox controllers are wireless as you mention. I'm sure some contractor will step up and produce them....for $5000/ea....
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There was a thing some years ago, NASA could no longer get a specific chip used in the Space Shuttle computers. Somebody figured out the chip was also used in some specific game controller, so NASA engineers were scouring ebay for them... under their own accounts so nobody would get wind of the fact that NASA was buying them and jack up the price.

benyflyguy said:
It’s crazy that there are no regs regarding this stuff.
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It's in international waters, you can do whatever you want.

Half Fast said:
Freedom isn't safe. While I hate to see anyone injured or killed, I still believe that a damfool ought to be able to take a great risk if he or she chooses, whether it's going to the bottom of the ocean in a one-off commercial sub or being shot into space on a one-off commercial rocket or getting married.

Regs should be focused more on protecting innocent bystanders and less on protecting damfool participants from themselves.
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:yeahthat:

If marriage is outlawed, only outlaws will have inlaws.
 
Doc Holliday said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Scorpion_(SSN-589)

"This was after the Navy had released sound tapes from its underwater SOSUS listening system, which contained the sounds of the destruction of Scorpion"
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Interesting read; one or more possible causes for the loss but higher headquarters malfeasance rather than unexpected material failure seems to predominate. Particularly chilling is the treachery of spies passing detailed information to the Soviets. Also the loss of crypto devices from the Pueblo.
 
Dana said:
If marriage is outlawed, only outlaws will have inlaws.
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Nominated for quote of the year.


Bill said:
I’m sorry, but at $100k-150k per seat, this falls squarely in the more money than brains category.
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As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted. Or as my wife says, a fool and his money make a great date.
 
Bill said:
I’m sorry, but at $100k-150k per seat, this falls squarely in the more money than brains category.
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I thought it was $250K?

In any case, for that kind of money I'd expect the company to have some redundancy in their systems, not be using an off-the-shelf $30 game controller.
 
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