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

[tezi]

New story from Wired

The Ocean Sciences Building at the University of Washington in Seattle is a brightly modern, four-story structure, with large glass windows reflecting the bay across the street.

On the afternoon of July 7, 2016, it was being slowly locked down.

[...]

In the building’s high-pressure testing facility, a black, pill-shaped capsule hung from a hoist on the ceiling. About 3 feet long, it was a scale model of a submersible called Cyclops 2, developed by a local startup called OceanGate. The company’s CEO, Stockton Rush, had cofounded the company in 2009 as a sort of submarine charter service, anticipating a growing need for commercial and research trips to the ocean floor. At first, Rush acquired older, steel-hulled subs for expeditions, but in 2013 OceanGate had begun designing what the company called “a revolutionary new manned submersible.” Among the sub’s innovations were its lightweight hull, which was built from carbon fiber and could accommodate more passengers than the spherical cabins traditionally used in deep-sea diving. By 2016, Rush’s dream was to take paying customers down to the most famous shipwreck of them all: the Titanic, 3,800 meters below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

Engineers carefully lowered the Cyclops 2 model into the testing tank nose-first, like a bomb being loaded into a silo, and then screwed on the tank’s 3,600-pound lid. Then they began pumping in water, increasing the pressure to mimic a submersible’s dive. If you’re hanging out at sea level, the weight of the atmosphere above you exerts 14.7 pounds per square inch (psi). The deeper you go, the stronger that pressure; at the Titanic’s depth, the pressure is about 6,500 psi. Soon, the pressure gauge on UW’s test tank read 1,000 psi, and it kept ticking up—2,000 psi, 5,000 psi. At about the 73-minute mark, as the pressure in the tank reached 6,500 psi, there was a sudden roar and the tank shuddered violently.

Thank you for posting this. A very interesting article, IMO.

 

[somequestions]

The following clip is some new interesting information. The University of Washington had more involvement with the Titan submersible than what was previously known. They were also very concerned about any type of glass used in the construction of the submersible.

 

[Countem]

OceanGate co-founder reveals dive into the Bahamas' 'Portal of Hell'

OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Söhnlein is going to the 'portal to Hell' hole in the Bahamas with scientist Kenny Broad and former NASA astronaut Scott Parazynski.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[callmehenry]

Good for him, I guess.

However, people have been taking submersibles down to the Titanic for 40 years. I don't know that I would call it "safe" exactly, but a mission to the Titanic in a properly designed and built sub has an excellent chance for success. I don't know what exactly this new vessel is supposed to prove. Or is just some self-aggrandizing, thrill-seeking behavior from a billionaire?

Too much money, not enough sense

 

[Countem]

Ga. salvage company is making its first Titanic voyage in 14 years

The Georgia company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic is undertaking its first expedition to the ship’s wreckage in years.

www.wrdw.com

RMS Titanic Inc., which holds the legal rights to salvage the wreck of the Titanic, launched its first expedition to the wreck since 2010 on Friday, July 12 from Rhode Island and is set to return on August 13.

“The expedition will use modern imaging technology and remotely operated vehicles to capture detailed images of the Titanic, the wreckage site and the debris field.”

Lots of additional information in comments on the Oceangate disaster are included in the article.

 

[LondonBloke]

Ga. salvage company is making its first Titanic voyage in 14 years

The Georgia company that owns the salvage rights to the Titanic is undertaking its first expedition to the ship’s wreckage in years.

www.wrdw.com

RMS Titanic Inc., which holds the legal rights to salvage the wreck of the Titanic, launched its first expedition to the wreck since 2010 on Friday, July 12 from Rhode Island and is set to return on August 13.

“The expedition will use modern imaging technology and remotely operated vehicles to capture detailed images of the Titanic, the wreckage site and the debris field.”

Lots of additional information in comments on the Oceangate disaster are included in the article.

Why are they doing this exactly? It has been done before many times, we have hi-def video and stills of the place.

I guess money is the root of all this guff. Be careful down there, I wouldn't want anything untoward to happen..

Maybe just let the sea bed rest in peace.

 

[iamshadow21]

Why are they doing this exactly? It has been done before many times, we have hi-def video and stills of the place.

I guess money is the root of all this guff. Be careful down there, I wouldn't want anything untoward to happen..

Maybe just let the sea bed rest in peace.

Salvage = taking items from the wreck and turning them into megabucks.

 

[windrower]

When I saw this headline in a post above,
“TRITON 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer |Triton Submarines,”
I read it as “Abysmal Explorer.”

Kind of apropos. Maybe my tired brain rewriting?

 

[Countem]

Why are they doing this exactly? It has been done before many times, we have hi-def video and stills of the place.

As @iamshadow21 said, the mission is to use higher definition imagery to identify new artifacts to recover and sell or keep to generate a profit through display.

Fortunately, I believe that no manned submarines will be involved in this mission.

 

[ifindedout]

U.S. Coast Guard to convene public hearing into the loss of Titan submersible

WASHINGTON— The Coast Guard is scheduled to conduct a formal hearing starting Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, South Carolina, for the Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) to consider

www.news.uscg.mil

Press Release | July 29, 2024

U.S. Coast Guard to convene public hearing into the loss of Titan submersible​

WASHINGTON— The Coast Guard is scheduled to conduct a formal hearing starting Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, South Carolina, for the Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) to consider evidence related to the loss of the Titan submersible.
The hearing is scheduled to take place at the Charleston County Council Chambers, located at 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, South Carolina. Due to capacity limitations, members of the public are encouraged to view the hearing via the livestream. Livestream information will be published closer to the convening date.
The formal hearing is scheduled to convene daily at 8:30 a.m. EDT on the following dates:

• Monday, Sept. 16, 2024
• Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024
• Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024
• Friday, Sept. 20, 2024
• Monday, Sept. 23, 2024
• Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024
• Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024
• Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024
• Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 (if necessary)

The hearing will examine all aspects of the loss of the Titan, including pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications, mechanical and structural systems, emergency response and the submersible industry.
The formal hearing was convened by Vice Adm. Peter W. Gautier, deputy commandant for operations. An MBI is the highest level of investigation in the Coast Guard. Upon completion of the investigation, the Board will issue a report to the Commandant with the evidence collected, the facts established, its conclusions and recommendations.
Titan was on an expedition to explore the wreck of the Titanic when contact was lost 1 hour and 47 minutes into its dive on Sunday, June 18, 2023. The Coast Guard, along with other agencies, international partners and private entities, conducted an extensive search operation. The wreckage of the Titan submersible was subsequently found on the ocean floor, approximately 300 meters off the bow of the Titanic, and all five passengers were declared deceased.
Information about the hearing, including the schedule, news releases and exhibits, will be posted to the Titan MBI website throughout the hearing at Titan Submersible - Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation. Hearing updates will also be posted via Twitter @MaritimeCommons with the hashtag #TitanMBI.