Titanic tourist submersible goes missing with search under way

JohnJoFitz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120742585#Comment_120742585

Its not just because rich people are involved. Its a fascinating live story and the reason it takes over the media is that people are interested in it.

War in Ukraine is old news and people being killed in conflict in Africa isn't even news.

the.red.baron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743033#Comment_120743033

its a newstory and people are interested enough about it to post on some BB about it

some news stories are big some small

if you don't care, ignore it

knucklehead6

Let’s just remind ourselves of the “auto release” function after 24 hours of the weights. IF the sub was intact then it would have surfaced

I believe that at this stage there’s no hope for these men. The sub has imploded

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743073#Comment_120743073

Unless the auto release is broken and its still weighted

Gusser09

Im hearing that the families have committed substantial funding to the search. Fair enough if thats the case. Hopefully deep water rescue crews have mobilised in time. Only a few dozen people are capable of such rescues. Fingers crossed.

Cup

If people have no sympathy for the people in the sub (not all of whom are billionaires btw), would you not have some sympathy for their families? I wouldn’t trade for anything to be in any of their positions.

baldbear

I feel most sorry for the youngest guy who went down with his dad. This trip was a vanity trip. People who have too much money.

It's like searching for a white van in the size of Ireland in heavy fog is a description I heard on Newstalk.

Also, the expert said the sub could have at least ran a coil from the surface attached to the sub so at least it could be found if the worst happend.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743073#Comment_120743073

I wouldnt agree. Substantial mechanical failure may have deemed the auto release mechanism redundant. I have a bad feeling that they will find the sub but wont be able to get the correct kit to site in time to raise it.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743011#Comment_120743011

Yep, and because it's Titanic related, they know they'll get loads and loads of traction and hits and views on anything they report about it.

the.red.baron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743100#Comment_120743100

people have sympathy for them, but can still point out the stupidity of the whole thing

Yellow_Fern

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743024#Comment_120743024

You are very naïve. People getting on those boats in North Africa are never starving to death. We would not let that happen. They pay in the region of €8000 to be there. You can buy a lot of food with that.

knucklehead6

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743105#Comment_120743105

Water pressure at the depth of titanic is about 6000psi.

That is the equivalent of 4000000 kilos of weight per square metre. Substantial mechanical failure at that pressure renders life redundant, not just the auto release mechanism

AndyBoBandy

From a video I saw yesterday from (I think) the ABC reporter who took the trip last year, he mentioned that the descent was fairly uncontrolled and essentially they hit the bottom (granted it wouldn't have been very fast, and it's landing on soft mud), but what if it landed on a piece of hard debris or a rock, or landed in such a way that it damaged the auto ballast release mechanism...

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743269#Comment_120743269

How long did it take them to make the full descent?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743064#Comment_120743064

Yeah it’s sadly perfect 24 hour news bait , 5 people trapped and dead within 90hours like some macabre countdown

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743288#Comment_120743288

Around 2 hours is the time it takes.

cdeb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743269#Comment_120743269

Or I suppose landed on the deck of Titanic and went through, causing it to be trapped?

Everything about this story is weird - even the reports of banging every 30 minutes - and I suppose it's possible we'll never find out exactly what happened. I'm presuming there's no black box or equivalent.

LambshankRedemption

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743073#Comment_120743073

I have read extensively on the design of the Titan and nowhere have I seen mention of a 24 hour auto-release of ballast. In fact the CBS reporter who went down in it said, to release ballast, all the crew members have to move to one side of the vessel causing it to list to one side so the industrial piping it uses as ballast roll off, then they all move to the other side and the pipes on the other side roll off and thats the ballast dropped, which should allow the vessel to rise.

However, if its snagged on something, they might be unable to do that.

cdeb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743064#Comment_120743064

In the mid 1930s, there was a fella fell down a well in Kilcoole in Wicklow. It was a dry well; he was trapped up to his chest in sand, but because of the incredible friction of lots of pieces of sand, it was impossible to haul him back out. People had to dig a second well, loosen the sand from underneath - but then he slipped down with the sand and was just as trapped as before. The compression of the sand slowly suffocated him and after three days, he died.

It was on the front page of the newspapers every one of those days, with the latest developments (the priest has arrived, he's falling asleep but they're trying to keep him awake, they're digging a new tunnel, time is running out, etc). This sort of fascination is nothing new. It's a horrible, yet gripping, story. Humans have always been interested in these sort of stories. Arguably it's part of what makes us human.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743350#Comment_120743350

Have you a link to the story?

jj880

Titanic still claiming victims.

Imagine going out like this. Paying the price of a house to be locked inside that death can. Pure lunacy.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743073#Comment_120743073

The sub could already be on the surface. It doesn't have any way of giving its location. Pity the doors are bolted shut from the outside so they could just suffocate anyways bobbing on the water.

cdeb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743379#Comment_120743379

Offhand, all I can find is this - "The hero of the “Well Tragedy” is also buried Charles O’Leary here but in the newer portion of the grave yard", or some notes from Wicklow County Council here - see at the bottom of page 437 where it says -

"Proposed by Councillor Edward Byrne;

Seconded by Liam Ó Cléirigh;

Resolved - That we place on record our deep sorrow at the distressing death of Mr. Charles O'Leary at Kilquade, arid we ask the members of his family to accept our very Sincere sympathy in their great bereavement.

Passed unanimously.

Proposeel by Councillor James Everett, T,D.;

Seconded by C M Byme;

Resolved - That, with a full knowledge of all the facts relating to the distressing death of Mr. Charles O'Leary at Kilquade, this County Council hereby votes a sum of £50 (Fifty Pounds) to be handed to the local Superintendent of the Gardaí and Father John O'Connor CC, jointly, to be disbursed by them as they think best in recognising the gallant efforts of the most deserving of the men who struggled so hard to save Mr. O'Leary's life, this sum to be paid as soon as the Minister for Local Government gives his sanction thereto.

Passed unanimously"

That's dated 13th December 1934, so any national newspaper of the few days before that would have the full story. You can still visit his grave in Kilquade Church.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743409#Comment_120743409

I'd say with the search effort now involved here, if it was on the surface it would have been located by now...

lets assume it was moving at a solid 2kts in any single direction (wind/currents), it would mean after 3 days the furthest away from it's initial point it could be would be 144 nautical miles, so that gives a search area diameter of 288 nautical miles, but they'd have a fair idea of prevailing currents (and wind if it was on the surface) which would narrow that search area down significantly.

cdeb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743453#Comment_120743453

A circle with diameter of 288 nautical miles has an area of 65,144 square nautical miles. You're right that they could narrow that down based on current direction, but even then BBC are reporting a surface area of 7,600 square miles has been searched so far. That's a diameter of 100 miles (or 87 nautical miles).

So I think it is probable it'd have been found, but it is still possibe it's floating on the ocean surface somewhere waiting for discovery.

CPTM

There must be what, 24 hours of oxygen left at this point? Even if they find them in the next couple of hours, is 20 hours enough to assess the site, formulate a plan, get the correct equipment to it, and successfully raise them?

Or if they're floating somewhere - Has anyone read whether or not they were allowed to bring their phones on board? It just occurred to me that if they were floating on the surface somewhere, wouldn't they have availed of same Starlink that the rescue team are using?

https://oceangate.com/news-and-media/blog/2019-0221-why-titan-is-not-classed.html

From their blog in 2019 about why the sub isn't classed, ie. tested for safety.

"Classing may be effective at filtering out unsatisfactory designers and builders, but the established standards do little to weed out subpar vessel operators – because classing agencies only focus on validating the physical vessel. They do not ensure that operators adhere to proper operating procedures and decision-making processes – two areas that are much more important for mitigating risks at sea. The vast majority of marine (and aviation) accidents are a result of operator error, not mechanical failure. As a result, simply focusing on classing the vessel does not address the operational risks."

This paragraph is incredible. How can an operation going to the bottom of the ocean fall victim to such an obvious logical error?

Focusing on mechanical safety and getting classed is why operator error is the main cause.

You can't just underestimate the dangers of mechanical failure because it doesn't happen often, when the reason it doesn't happen often is other vessels taking it seriously and getting classed.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743453#Comment_120743453

It's a sub, not a lifeboat. It could surface at any time rendering all previous searches of an area immediately void.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743542#Comment_120743542

Starlink requires an antennae.

CPTM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120743594#Comment_120743594

Ugh, alright, I didn't know that thanks.