Titanic tourist sub goes missing in Atlantic Ocean, June 2023 #4

[Elley Mae]

OceanGate CEO used college interns to design sub’s electrical system: report

OceanGate CEO used college interns to design sub’s electrical system: report

College interns were hired by OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush to design the electrical systems for the ill-fated Titan submersible – in which he was killed along with four other people, acc…

nypost.com

 

[ArianeEmory]

Yes, and the reality being sadly the opposite way around - the more use the submersible got the closer the inevitable day of implosion was coming.

I’ve mentioned this before, maybe before they even recovered the wreckage, but as soon as we found out the main hull was carbon fiber, I was reminded of carbon fiber motorcycle helmets. Once they’ve absorbed a single significant impact, even if you accidentally drop it on concrete from a decent height, you’re supposed to get a new helmet. That one did its job and is no longer structurally sound.

 

[MsMarple]

OceanGate CEO used college interns to design sub’s electrical system: report

OceanGate CEO used college interns to design sub’s electrical system: report

College interns were hired by OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush to design the electrical systems for the ill-fated Titan submersible – in which he was killed along with four other people, acc…

nypost.com

From your link, which explains so much:

Lochridge reportedly replied: “I think you are going to [be] even more taken aback when I tell you what’s happening,” adding that he would share his opinion of the Titan in private but was afraid of retaliation from Rush because of his “influence and money.”

“That sub is Not safe to dive,” Lochridge wrote, according to The New Yorker.

“Do you think the sub could be made safe to dive, or is it a complete lemon?” McCallum reportedly replied. “You will get a lot of support from people in the industry. Everyone is watching and waiting and quietly s—ting their pants.”

Lochridge responded: “It’s a lemon.”

 

[10ofRods]

I also think the fact that this vessel made several safe trips over the years was probably used as a selling point by SR. He would probably say we've made several trips over the years and everything has been fine --- 5 trips in 2021 and 5 trips in 2022----and people would think about that and think yeah, everything has been ok up to now, why wouldn't it be ok----that despite the waiver that describes the risks in clear words.

There were at least two Titans: a white one and a yellow one. For some reason, the yellow one ceased to be used (stress problems? electrical issues? was it the one that bobbed in the ocean with 5 people inside for 26 hours while the mother ship looked for them? they were without power almost that whole time...)

I think if only the successful, uneventful voyages were talked up, that's a form of lying to the customer.

IMO. Leading people (erroneously) to think things had always been okay and this particular Titan was okay (when the other one wasn't?) was wrong.

IMO.

 

[10ofRods]

Voice recordings? I thought they communicated by texts.

That's what the Scientific American article said. Their authors were supposedly using what OceanGate told them/had available on the design of the system (and interviews with someone from the Polar Prince, IIRC).

Nevertheless, it's possible SA didn't have the whole story at the time.

Hard to know what to think. Has anyone heard these messages? I'm still plowing through earlier parts of the thread.

 

[ArianeEmory]

Lochridge reportedly replied: “I think you are going to [be] even more taken aback when I tell you what’s happening,” adding that he would share his opinion of the Titan in private but was afraid of retaliation from Rush because of his “influence and money.”

And it turned out he was right to be afraid. This is the engineer who Rush fired, threatened and sued to get him to stop blowing the whistle.

 

[MsMarple]

That's what the Scientific American article said. Their authors were supposedly using what OceanGate told them/had available on the design of the system (and interviews with someone from the Polar Prince, IIRC).

Nevertheless, it's possible SA didn't have the whole story at the time.

Hard to know what to think. Has anyone heard these messages? I'm still plowing through earlier parts of the thread.

Yeah the Coast Guard clarified that the voice recordings referred only to the support ship. Titan did in fact communicate via texts.

Voice recordings and data from the mother ship that carried the Titan submersible before it imploded will be examined, investigators say

The vehicles will work to map out the vessel's debris field, which is more than 2 miles deep in the North Atlantic, Mauger said.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[mickey2942]

I wonder if anyone has thought of the possibility that this was deliberate. Granted, there were flaws in this sub, but it has been working for years, without deaths.

Was this an accident waiting to happen? Or did someone see this situation as an opportunity to get away with the perfect crime, with all evidence of sabotage scattered in the ocean?

Maybe I have read too many books about mysteries and conspiracies.

 

[ilovewings]

There were at least two Titans: a white one and a yellow one. For some reason, the yellow one ceased to be used (stress problems? electrical issues? was it the one that bobbed in the ocean with 5 people inside for 26 hours while the mother ship looked for them? they were without power almost that whole time...)

I think if only the successful, uneventful voyages were talked up, that's a form of lying to the customer.

IMO. Leading people (erroneously) to think things had always been okay and this particular Titan was okay (when the other one wasn't?) was wrong.

IMO.

He cherry-picked what he wanted people to know- telling them only the good stuff and not telling them about some of the problems! Yes, that was wrong- so very wrong, because those things that were a problem had the potential to cause the submersive to catastrophically fail.

 

[iamshadow21]

I wonder if anyone has thought of the possibility that this was deliberate. Granted, there were flaws in this sub, but it has been working for years, without deaths.

Was this an accident waiting to happen? Or did someone see this situation as an opportunity to get away with the perfect crime, with all evidence of sabotage scattered in the ocean?

Maybe I have read too many books about mysteries and conspiracies.

To what end?

MOO

 

[eloquence]

That waiver was clear as could be that the Titan was not licensed or certified so why would people take that kind of chance? it is mind boggling- it is the "it can't happen to me' syndrome or they had so much faith in SR that they just believed him that it was safe even though it was not licensed or certified-- he talked a good line I guess---

How many times have you signed a waiver to do any activity? They all have such wording as "this activity may result in injury, death etc". I went on a short tourist boat ride recently (small vessel in a lake, driven by a professional at a very slow speed, not anything about to kill someone) and the waiver was 3 pages long with all sorts of warnings like that.

I think the people knew that Titan was a "research" vessel and not necessarily licensed and cleared for tourists, but I don't think any of them knew the extent to which SR had flouted scientific research and warnings to continue operating.

 

[ilovewings]

To what end?

MOO

I think you've read too many mysteries and conspiracies LOL

 

[MsMarple]

And it turned out he was right to be afraid. This is the engineer who Rush fired, threatened and sued to get him to stop blowing the whistle.

It does make me wonder just how much warning was available outside of the small submersible “community.” Rush and Nargeolet IMO made informed decisions to board the Titan but the other passengers may not have had the same level of information.

Rush used legal threats to hide his use of sub par engineering and materials from becoming known to anyone outside of the community. Obviously he believed his sub was structurally sound, enough to risk that final ride. It may not have taken much to convince the others that the Titan was safe.

 

[flowershop]

It's being reported that the submersible dropped weights in order to resurface. The passengers knew something was wrong in their final moments.

A former OceanGate advisor said the Titanic submersible dropped its weights and may have tried to resurface before it imploded, possibly indicating those on board knew something had gone wrong

Rob McCallum said the Titan dropped its weights and was trying to ascend before it lost communication with its mother ship.

www.insider.com

 

[arielilane]

Owner of #Pelagic says they were contacted the day #Titan lost communication with Polar Prince.

Pelagic's #Odysseus 6K ROV became the primary asset focused on the rescue of #Titan. Shortly after arriving on seafloor, they found the debris.

June 22nd until June 27th, the Pelagic's team and many others were conducting 24 hour ROV operations as directed by on-site commander.

Deep Energy used an ROV incapable of getting to the sea floor, but it made it initially - until having mechanical failure. Showing the scope of this response. - Ed Cassano CEO, Pelagic #Titan #Titanic

"I'll say we pushed some things, and we all pushed some things on this response." Ed Cassano, the CEO of #Pelagic showing reporters how their system works.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1674831425021919264

https://twitter.com/WFLAJosh

 

[Gardenista]

It's being reported that the submersible dropped weights in order to resurface. The passengers knew something was wrong in their final moments.

A former OceanGate advisor said the Titanic submersible dropped its weights and may have tried to resurface before it imploded, possibly indicating those on board knew something had gone wrong

Rob McCallum said the Titan dropped its weights and was trying to ascend before it lost communication with its mother ship.

www.insider.com

Oh please. They routinely had to abort and resurface.

 

[10ofRods]

I didn't realize that Engineer Lochridge was hired on not just to design the submersible (he had designed many, for specific purposes) but was also supposed to be the principal pilot for these experimental submersibles (vastly more experience than Rush).

So when he and Rush had their falling out and Lochridge had to clear his desk out in ten minutes, the whole OceanGate team must have been aghast. Rush really had no face-saving choice but to step up and declare himself Lochridge's equal in both design AND piloting.

He was neither. But to me, it helped explain his hubris. He was out to prove he had been right to fire Lockridge and "everything was just peachy awesome." (I'm paraphrasing). Just could. not. admit. he. was. wrong.

IMO

 

[iamshadow21]

I didn't realize that Engineer Lochridge was hired on not just to design the submersible (he had designed many, for specific purposes) but was also supposed to be the principal pilot for these experimental submersibles (vastly more experience than Rush).

So when he and Rush had their falling out and Lochridge had to clear his desk out in ten minutes, the whole OceanGate team must have been aghast. Rush really had no face-saving choice but to step up and declare himself Lochridge's equal in both design AND piloting.

He was neither. But to me, it helped explain his hubris. He was out to prove he had been right to fire Lockridge and "everything was just peachy awesome." (I'm paraphrasing). Just could. not. admit. he. was. wrong.

IMO

Except before he took on the piloting job, he offered the job to the young woman who was their accountant, which scared her so much that she quit, because she knew with Lochridge gone, any illusion of safety was, too. Smart move.

MOO

 

[flowershop]

Oh please. They routinely had to abort and resurface.

Just sharing the information. I can't speak for the occupants and what they did or did not find "routine" however at least two were new to this whole sort of endeavor.

 

[d0lphin]

^^^^^^^^^^EVERYONE needs to read this RIGHT NOW. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I'm only halfway through, and so far, just about everything we feared or predicted is true but it still manages to be deeply shocking that it got to this point.

MOO

I was put off reading the article due to its length but (I have the attention span of a goldfish) but I have read half of it now and it's horrifying. I urge others to persevere.