Titanic Missing Submersible Updates

[Winnipeg]

Spikefan, that is the saddest thing to hear...........

 

[victorskid]

How sad and what a waste just to see a sunken ship that can be viewed in pictures likely far better.

I am truly sorry for the loss but let's face it, they must have known the huge risk they were taking and decided this was worth it for them. Sorry for the families too.

I couldn't help, with the almost simultaneous new releases, compare the loss of these 5 "adventurers" with the loss of the now-identified 16 senior citizens in Manitoba who were on an outing to a casino when their vehicle was destroyed crossing the highway in front of a tractor trailer. Nine others remain in hospital, 4 in critical care. Many broken hearts...

I can't imagine the millions of dollars involved in the search.

All the grieving families are in my thoughts.

 

[made_in_canada]

I am truly sorry for the loss but let's face it, they must have known the huge risk they were taking and decided this was worth it for them. Sorry for the families too.

While they did sign a waiver warning of possible death, and there's obviously inherent high risk with anything deep sea, I do wonder how much the passengers knew about some of the shortcuts and other issues that have now come out about how the sub was constructed. I mean, if I was paying $250,000 for something I'd be researching something pretty thoroughly, but if I was the kind of person that could spend $250,000 on something like this, would I? I'm sure if there's anyone to be sued, it'll happen in due time. I also doubt we've heard the last of OceanGate's incompetence

 

[Tesla]

The sister of the 19-year-old is saying he didn’t want to go but did because it was his dad’s lifelong dream and it was Father’s Day.

Oh my god, this absolutely breaks my heart.

 

[Tesla]

While they did sign a waiver warning of possible death, and there's obviously inherent high risk with anything deep sea, I do wonder how much the passengers knew about some of the shortcuts and other issues that have now come out about how the sub was constructed. I mean, if I was paying $250,000 for something I'd be researching something pretty thoroughly, but if I was the kind of person that could spend $250,000 on something like this, would I? I'm sure if there's anyone to be sued, it'll happen in due time. I also doubt we've heard the last of OceanGate's incompetence

I'm going to guess no one knew and no one researched. For a billionaire, $250,000 is equivalent to $1. How often do people research a plane or a ship before travel?

 

[MsZem]

I couldn't help, with the almost simultaneous new releases, compare the loss of these 5 "adventurers" with the loss of the now-identified 16 senior citizens in Manitoba who were on an outing to a casino when their vehicle was destroyed crossing the highway in front of a tractor trailer. Nine others remain in hospital, 4 in critical care. Many broken hearts...

I can't imagine the millions of dollars involved in the search.

All the grieving families are in my thoughts.

Two of those on board the Titan were from Pakistan. Just last week, around 200 (if not more) Pakistanis perished on the boat that capsized near Greece. Would that even a fraction of the money spent here had been used to help the people on that boat.

But nobody deserves a tragedy. It's just sad all around.

 

[Simone411]

I have so many questions. You see the submersibles that James Cameron used before filming "Titanic." What was state of the art back in the 90's certainly looks better than this contraption. If you have billions don't you want state of the art for such a dangerous undertaking?

This is what I was so totally disturbed about! You might as well say that they got into a can of Bushes Baked Beans or Sardines that needed to be opened on the outside with a can opener! Why didn't this billionaire invest in using a door that sealed shut with a hinge to open it from the inside. But no. They used a door, bolted it shut on the outside without any way for them to get out, and used an intendo remote control to guide the damn thing.

Forest Gump made sense when he said "Stupid is as stupid does". The man might as well told them "Let's Go jump off a cliff without a parachute". They might have possibly survived that, maybe a few broken bones, but at least they would have had a better chance to survive.

 

[Frau Muller]

This is very sad…”a catastrophic implosion…” as per reports. Hopefully this is the end of these adventure trips.

 

[Prancer]

This is what I was so totally disturbed about! You might as well say that they got into a can of Bushes Baked Beans or Sardines that needed to be opened on the outside with a can opener! Why didn't this billionaire invest in using a door that sealed shut with a hinge to open it from the inside. But no. They used a door, bolted it shut on the outside without any way for them to get out, and used an intendo remote control to guide the damn thing.

What would they do if the could open the door? It's not like they could swim to the surface.

 

[skatfan]

I'm going to guess no one knew and no one researched. For a billionaire, $250,000 is equivalent to $1. How often do people research a plane or a ship before travel?

The difference is that commercial passenger ships and airplanes in the US are regulated and have to meet safety standards. The submersible was designed and used to avoid such standards.

 

[marbri]

This is what I was so totally disturbed about! You might as well say that they got into a can of Bushes Baked Beans or Sardines that needed to be opened on the outside with a can opener! Why didn't this billionaire invest in using a door that sealed shut with a hinge to open it from the inside. But no. They used a door, bolted it shut on the outside without any way for them to get out, and used an intendo remote control to guide the damn thing.

Forest Gump made sense when he said "Stupid is as stupid does". The man might as well told them "Let's Go jump off a cliff without a parachute". They might have possibly survived that, maybe a few broken bones, but at least they would have had a better chance to survive.

Not that it matters but having a door they could open from the inside wouldn't have helped in this situation.

BUT I certainly wouldn't get in a sub that didn't have a door I could open from the inside. Especially with a limited oxygen supply because even if it drifted around on the surface it might still take time to locate. To me it's like being buried alive and hoping someone finds that needle in a haystack before your oxygen runs out.

 

[Simone411]

What would they do if the could open the door? It's not like they could swim to the surface.

He could have also included diving suits with oxygen tanks to at least insure some type of safety where they could get out. They would have had to slowly surface so they wouldn't get the bends, and also have a decompression chamber on the boat.

 

[marbri]

He could have also included diving suits with oxygen tanks to at least insure some type of safety where they could get out. They would have had to slowly surface so they wouldn't get the bends, and also have a decompression chamber on the boat.

I don't think the human body can withstand the pressure at the depths of the titanic. Even with a diving suit and oxygen tanks.

 

[MsZem]

I don't think the human body can withstand the pressure at the depths of the titanic. Even with a diving suit and oxygen tanks.

Not to mention, even closer to the surface these would not be beginner dives - even if they could fit all the gear needed on such a small vessel.

 

[Simone411]

I don't think the human body can withstand the pressure at the depths of the titanic. Even with a diving suit and oxygen tanks.

If something had happened before they reached those deep depths, they could have possibly gotten out and had a chance. But we'll never know that because they didn't even have a way to get out of the contraption.

 

[marbri]

If something had happened before they reached those deep depths, they could have possibly gotten out and had a chance. But we'll never know that because they didn't even have a way to get out of the contraption.

Which they were fully aware of when they embarked on that journey. That is the most astounding part of this to me

 

[rfisher]

.

He could have also included diving suits with oxygen tanks to at least insure some type of safety where they could get out. They would have had to slowly surface so they wouldn't get the bends, and also have a decompression chamber on the boat.

No room for wet suits plus at that depth, there are no suits that would withstand the pressure and there is no way they could make the ascent free diving. The maximum depth and ascent was just over a 1000 feet and it took over 13 hours to ascend. The diver prepared for weeks and had multiple tanks in place along the way. I suspect there was a tiny leak in the door seal and when they hit depth, the sub simply collapsed in on itself due to pressure. It is a catastrophic failure which would happen in seconds. They wouldn't have had time to do anything. If it had been a power failure, they'd have found the sub and not a debris field.

 

[alexikeguchi]

I have so many questions. You see the submersibles that James Cameron used before filming "Titanic." What was state of the art back in the 90's certainly looks better than this contraption. If you have billions don't you want state of the art for such a dangerous undertaking?

The CEO of this company was on record saying that no actual scientific missions were still being undertaken at the Titanic wreck site, so private industry was the only way to get there. Even the so-called "explorers" on this expedition sounded like dilettantes, so they probably weren't qualified to take part even if a research vessel was still doing work down there.

I'm going to guess no one knew and no one researched. For a billionaire, $250,000 is equivalent to $1. How often do people research a plane or a ship before travel?

I travel to some pretty far off the beaten path destinations (ETA with my now grown sons, starting from late elementary school age), and I regularly research the safety record of my guides as well as the regional airlines and their equipment. There are some places I really want to go that I am still deferring (Angel Falls in Venezuela is top of the list) because it would just not be responsible to put myself and my loved ones at that much risk voluntarily. I feel so sad for the young Pakistani boy who had misgivings but went along to please his father.

 

[Simone411]

Which they were fully aware of when they embarked on that journey. That is the most astounding part of this to me

Me, too! I totally agree with you. I'm in total shock that they even did it.

 

[rfisher]

Which they were fully aware of when they embarked on that journey. That is the most astounding part of this to me

People do dangerous things all the time. Spend some time in a hospital ED and you'll be astounded at what comes through the door. Everybody thinks they are invincible. Just this week I came around a corner on a busy street and two teenagers were riding skate boards on the side of the road. A very narrow side and neither of them were particularly good on their boards. All it would take was one failure to balance and they could have been killed when a car hit them, especially since you didn't know they were there until there they were.

 

[marbri]

People do dangerous things all the time. Spend some time in a hospital ED and you'll be astounded at what comes through the door. Everybody thinks they are invincible. Just this week I came around a corner on a busy street and two teenagers were riding skate boards on the side of the road. A very narrow side and neither of them were particularly good on their boards. All it would take was one failure to balance and they could have been killed when a car hit them, especially since you didn't know they were there until there they were.

Well I don't think everybody thinks they are invincible.

But these men clearly did.

 

[BittyBug]

Interesting commentary, including a technical analysis, from James Cameron, who is apparently somewhat of an expert in submersibles.

"Titanic" filmmaker James Cameron weighs in on the 'catastrophic' Titan sub implosion | ABC News

"I'm struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself."Filmmaker James Cameron and oceanographer Cmdr. Robert Ballard weigh in on the Titan submersibl...

www.youtube.com

There are some places I really want to go that I am still deferring (Angel Falls in Venezuela is top of the list) because it would just not be responsible to put myself at that much risk voluntarily.

My mom was scheduled to visit Angel Falls many years ago, but they couldn't get the plane to start.

 

[Judy]

He could have also included diving suits with oxygen tanks to at least insure some type of safety where they could get out. They would have had to slowly surface so they wouldn't get the bends, and also have a decompression chamber on the boat.

Door or no door it wouldn’t have been survivable to exit.

 

[tennellicious]

People do dangerous things all the time. Spend some time in a hospital ED and you'll be astounded at what comes through the door. Everybody thinks they are invincible.

yeah I agree. it's easy to call these people out for their ignorance after the sub imploded, but very few were outraged before this accident.

and I have to roll my eyes at people outraged at the disproportionate amount of coverage this story received compared to the capsized boat with the refugees.

OF COURSE the five missing billionaires will get all the press coverage, it's human nature and it's been like this forever.

It's actually ironic, that's a big reason why Titanic was such a huge story in 1912—and has endured as a cultural phenomenon today—because so many of the richest people in the world were on board (and many died in the sinking). There have been other maritime disasters that no one remembers because it was all regular/poor people onboard. I'm not saying it's right, but that's the way our world works.

 

[ilovepaydays]

I am truly sorry for the loss but let's face it, they must have known the huge risk they were taking and decided this was worth it for them. Sorry for the families too.

USN veteran here - I believe USN submarines only submerge to about 2,000 feet. And the U.S. Navy makes submariners attend a (I think) eight week school before they report because the training needed with being on a submarine is WAY MORE than a typical USN ship. What should that tell people about being submerged?

The Titanic wreckage is at around 12,500 feet. I can’t imagine what it would take to make exploring that deep even remotely safe.

I can't imagine the millions of dollars involved in the search.

All the grieving families are in my thoughts.

I’m just relieved no one has died in the search and (maybe?) recovery?

I mean, if I was paying $250,000 for something I'd be researching something pretty thoroughly, but if I was the kind of person that could spend $250,000 on something like this, would I?

I'm going to guess no one knew and no one researched. For a billionaire, $250,000 is equivalent to $1. How often do people research a plane or a ship before travel?

Isn’t there some mental fallacy that can happen where one thinks that once a price is above a certain amount, they think it can’t be valuable or high quality?

 

[Cachoo]

Interesting commentary, including a technical analysis, from James Cameron, who is apparently somewhat of an expert in submersibles.

"Titanic" filmmaker James Cameron weighs in on the 'catastrophic' Titan sub implosion | ABC News

"I'm struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself."Filmmaker James Cameron and oceanographer Cmdr. Robert Ballard weigh in on the Titan submersibl...

www.youtube.com

My mom was scheduled to visit Angel Falls many years ago, but they couldn't get the plane to start.

Great interview: Interesting that in decades of operation there had never been injury or death before in similar vehicles that have undergone rigorous testing. And now the world sees submersibles from the one company that was sloppy. Cameron was a friend of one on board (the French Titanic expert.) He spoke glowingly of him. I also saw an interview with his daughter who said her father was exactly where he wanted to be….

 

[marbri]

yeah I agree. it's easy to call these people out for their ignorance after the sub imploded, but very few were outraged before this accident.

and I have to roll my eyes at people outraged at the disproportionate amount of coverage this story received compared to the capsized boat with the refugees.

OF COURSE the five missing billionaires will get all the press coverage, it's human nature and it's been like this forever.

It's actually ironic, that's a big reason why Titanic was such a huge story in 1912—and has endured as a cultural phenomenon today—because so many of the richest people in the world were on board (and many died in the sinking). There have been other maritime disasters that no one remembers because it was all regular/poor people onboard. I'm not saying it's right, but that's the way our world works.

I would bet very few knew about it prior to it dominating the news ( why would we ) so there should be no expectation of outrage before the accident?

 

[BittyBug]

Navy sensors apparently picked up what was likely the implosion of the Titan around the time communications were lost but they couldn't be certain what the sound was so the search was continued.

https://wapo.st/43Vq6J9

 

[Dobre]

I think it's news in the same way that the Chinese spy balloon was news. Because it's so bizarre that it feels more like it belongs as a plot point in a sci-fi novel than in real life. (Complete with the ticking clock element of having only so many hours of an oxygen supply left). Clearly it taps into many people's instinctive fears (can't name how many posts I read commenting about how it was someone's worst nightmare). There was no way this was not going to gain coverage. Is the fact that the passengers were rich part of the interest? Oh, probably; but with the scenario & the sense of dread people can imagine of being trapped in such a vessel with time running out, it would have been a story anyway.

It's one of those human interest novelty type stories that captures an audience for its limited duration. Similar to the way the news covered baby Jessica trapped in the well.

Yes, there are and were many other horribly tragic events going on in the world at the same time that could have merited more coverage. But there's no point in comparing. One tragic event does not negate another. No one thinks this story made headlines because it was the gravest situation going on in the world this week. It was because it was different/novel. And one hopes it will stay that way. Perhaps it will have a genuine longterm outcome--making it harder for these high-risk private companies to sell people fantasies by taking shortcuts on safety. Too early to know there.

But people didn't follow this story because they thought it was the most impactful thing going on in the world. Nor would the story's absence from the news cycle necessarily have meant something more "worthy" would have filled that space. It's quite possible for news companies to cover the tragedy in the Mediterranean and the awful flooding in Ukraine and a group of people lost in a dangerous submarine device at the same time. If media is not covering a significant event, they should get flack for not doing so. It doesn't have to be a comparison.

The people who lost loved ones in all of these scenarios are suffering regardless.

 

[Orm Irian]

I guess at least they went quick. Better than finding the vessel still intact and knowing they suffered. The families can have closure now.

Yes. I read a report that an implosion like that would happen in milliseconds - too quickly for the human mind to process what was happening. They must have died before they even realised anything was wrong, which at least means they didn't endure an extended period of suffering while waiting and hoping for a rescue that might not come.

But what a horrible thing to happen to anybody.