Tourist submersible missing on visit to Titanic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Imagine yourself in a minivan with four other adults in the deep depths of the ocean where you can’t see anything for days and probably are out of provisions and nowhere to use the toilet. You couldn’t pay me enough.

I'd have a panic attack 10 feet down.

[Anonymous]

If the submersible is discovered, I assume it would have to rise to the surface very very slowly, is that correct? How long would that take?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Hard to believe the whole world is watching but everyone is helpless to help them.

Must be agony for the family members.

I mean he is just the stepson.

I was looking at the step-son's IG and Facebook accounts yesterday. Getting strong Aspie vibes, so many of his posts are just cringe and with zero self-awareness. He seems to attend lots of high-end sports events, backstage passes to concerts, etc. Lots of awkward selfies with un-amused celebs and athletes.

Ok, so what? He is irrelevant

Congrats on insulting the entire SN community with your thoughtless observation

Ha, you’re the one diagnosing him with autism. How presumptive of you to diagnose someone via IG photos.

This guy is just...
https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/threatened-shoot-edm-festival-allegations-hamish-harding-s-stepson-surface-online-amid-blink-182-post-backlash

The stepson, Brian Szasz, was recently jailed for stalking and was accused of threatening and harassing several women on twitter.Apparently he is part of the rave community and had been banned and had his tickets revoked for threatening a terroristic threat at an EDM festival.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Imagine yourself in a minivan with four other adults in the deep depths of the ocean where you can’t see anything for days and probably are out of provisions and nowhere to use the toilet. You couldn’t pay me enough.

I got stuck (by myself and without a cellphone) in an elevator once for over an hour. That alone was enough to send me into a full blown panic. This sounds unimaginable. I just hope they're taking care of one another and that someone in the group is helping everyone stay as calm as possible until the end. The thought of being the last one alive is also horrifying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the submersible is discovered, I assume it would have to rise to the surface very very slowly, is that correct? How long would that take?

No, because the air inside is not pressurized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It took Ballard 73 years to find the wreck. If you think they are going to find them if they did implode within weeks, you are sorely mistaken.

Exploration and discovery are not without risk be it on the ocean floor or in space.

after a certain number of days - i assume they won't keep looking. is there any point in finding the vessel once weeks have passed? even if they do find its location - i don't think there is any way to raise it.

Can a radar on a boat even identify something that far down? Or do you mean researchers might send down an unmanned device to look for it.

Generally you'd use sonar underwater, not radar.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:A vehicle the size of a mini-van with a bottle and Ziploc bags for a toilet. Viewing portal tested to 1400 meters’ depth and they were going down 14,000 feet. Controller made from a GameBoy.

The level of delusion involved in boarding this craft is shocking. It’s hard not to see it as a form of suicide.

Hadn’t it made successful trips before? I agree that it was obviously taking on huge risk, but they probably saw it had been done safely before.

Also, in general we trust that something like this won't be allowed to operate without some sufficient oversight. We trust this every time we get on an airplane or buy a new car, or get on a ride at an amusement park. We trust it when we participate in anything that, of course, has risks - but aren't there guardrails in place to prevent some yahoo from simply taking $250k from whoever wants to pay it and sending them 12,500 feet down without some sort of oversight and inspection?

Of course there can always be an accident, something can always go wrong - but is the system built to go wrong? I guess it turns out it is - but I don't think it's crazy for the people who bought their seats on this doomed ride to have believed that this insane company wouldn't have been allowed to do this unless someone without a financial stake in the company thought it was safe. I know this is an extreme case - but I just don't think you can blame the people who participated for not knowing how unregulated this turned out to be. Or accuse them of wanting to die.

This is just so horrific.

And the migrant boat sinking is also horrific. It's sort of the opposite end of the same spectrum. Though I don't know anyone thinks the migrant boats are safe - it's just the people willing to take them are that desperate.

I think this is the huge difference in wrapping my mind around these two events. I understand the risk of the migrants because they are in a disadvantaged position where the gamble may be worth it. I can also envision how a boat sinks.

But with the submersible, my brain is just trying to fathom the extreme darkness and pressure that deep in the ocean. I don’t understand the risk of very well off people wanting to get on something not well regulated. And just to see the titanic on a video monitor anyway. What is the bonus of being that far below the sea, just to say you did it? Seems reckless without much upside.

Completely agree - but wanted to add there is a portal they can look through at one end of the vessel but its small. I saw a photo somewhere of an individual who had done this trip before and the photo was like a selfie with his face and the portal showing the titanic.

A selfie? So they died for social media clout?

Of course! Why else? These aren’t qualified divers or submarine captains. No, they are rich people. There are smarter, safer and more effective ways to view the Titanic, but a selfie wouldn’t be possible. Sorry if that’s offensive to any selfie taking narcissists.

I have been on an airplane, but I am not a certified pilot. I am so ashamed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seems like just another entry in a long list of recipients of the Darwin Awards.

Yes, but so were a lot of the contraptions on the way to inventing the airplane.

This one has been solved, just not for rich guy tourists. Submersibles have safely gone a lot deeper than this thing, but they were expensive and required a ton of support. This thing was redneck engineering at its finest

[Anonymous]

The passengers, if alive, are probably thinking what a mistake, such a waste of life. They had such excess, so many opportunities, but chose to climb aboard this contraption. They could have been lounging on a tropical island somewhere, but instead are trapped at the bottom of the Atlantic, waiting for death to finally come. What a sad, pathetic, tortuous way to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A vehicle the size of a mini-van with a bottle and Ziploc bags for a toilet. Viewing portal tested to 1400 meters’ depth and they were going down 14,000 feet. Controller made from a GameBoy.

The level of delusion involved in boarding this craft is shocking. It’s hard not to see it as a form of suicide.

Hadn’t it made successful trips before? I agree that it was obviously taking on huge risk, but they probably saw it had been done safely before.

Also, in general we trust that something like this won't be allowed to operate without some sufficient oversight. We trust this every time we get on an airplane or buy a new car, or get on a ride at an amusement park. We trust it when we participate in anything that, of course, has risks - but aren't there guardrails in place to prevent some yahoo from simply taking $250k from whoever wants to pay it and sending them 12,500 feet down without some sort of oversight and inspection?

Of course there can always be an accident, something can always go wrong - but is the system built to go wrong? I guess it turns out it is - but I don't think it's crazy for the people who bought their seats on this doomed ride to have believed that this insane company wouldn't have been allowed to do this unless someone without a financial stake in the company thought it was safe. I know this is an extreme case - but I just don't think you can blame the people who participated for not knowing how unregulated this turned out to be. Or accuse them of wanting to die.

This is just so horrific.

And the migrant boat sinking is also horrific. It's sort of the opposite end of the same spectrum. Though I don't know anyone thinks the migrant boats are safe - it's just the people willing to take them are that desperate.

I think this is the huge difference in wrapping my mind around these two events. I understand the risk of the migrants because they are in a disadvantaged position where the gamble may be worth it. I can also envision how a boat sinks.

But with the submersible, my brain is just trying to fathom the extreme darkness and pressure that deep in the ocean. I don’t understand the risk of very well off people wanting to get on something not well regulated. And just to see the titanic on a video monitor anyway. What is the bonus of being that far below the sea, just to say you did it? Seems reckless without much upside.

Completely agree - but wanted to add there is a portal they can look through at one end of the vessel but its small. I saw a photo somewhere of an individual who had done this trip before and the photo was like a selfie with his face and the portal showing the titanic.

A selfie? So they died for social media clout?

Of course! Why else? These aren’t qualified divers or submarine captains. No, they are rich people. There are smarter, safer and more effective ways to view the Titanic, but a selfie wouldn’t be possible. Sorry if that’s offensive to any selfie taking narcissists.

I have been on an airplane, but I am not a certified pilot. I am so ashamed.

Was it an unregulated aircraft, did you take a selfie?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The passengers, if alive, are probably thinking what a mistake, such a waste of life. They had such excess, so many opportunities, but chose to climb aboard this contraption. They could have been lounging on a tropical island somewhere, but instead are trapped at the bottom of the Atlantic, waiting for death to finally come. What a sad, pathetic, tortuous way to go.

Or they are thinking, "this is as good of a way to go as any. At least I go down (pun intended) in history!"

I mean one guy devoted his life to the history of the titanic and one was the CEO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It took Ballard 73 years to find the wreck. If you think they are going to find them if they did implode within weeks, you are sorely mistaken.

Exploration and discovery are not without risk be it on the ocean floor or in space.

after a certain number of days - i assume they won't keep looking. is there any point in finding the vessel once weeks have passed? even if they do find its location - i don't think there is any way to raise it.

Can a radar on a boat even identify something that far down? Or do you mean researchers might send down an unmanned device to look for it.

Generally you'd use sonar underwater, not radar.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:this kind of reminds me of Everest in way--if you fall victim to Everest, it's unlikely you'll be rescued and you're just left up there to die. Unless a sherpa comes along and bundles you up and carries you down the mountain like the recent rescue, but that is rare. so this is similar--you're stuck at the bottom of the ocean with no rescue option available. They knew this going in, just like Everest climbers assume the risk. At least on Everest your death is pretty quick and peaceful.

You are dramatically misstating what goes on on Everest—but you are more right than you know.

Sherpas don’t “come along” and help people out on Everest. Wealthy Westerners pay big bucks for guides and equipment-carrying (including bottled oxygen) that enables a lot of would-be summiteers to be in places their training and experience do not justify them being in.

They do not accept the risk, for the most part—they spend a lot of money trying to derisk an inherently risky environment. When it goes wrong, sherpas who are hired to work as part of the businesses supporting this risk their own lives to bail these folks out.

There are proposals by expert climbers to ban bottled oxygen on Everest to prevent this kind of nonsense (because none of these people could climb Everest without it), but the local economy depends so strongly on this setup that it’s a nonstarter.

It’s a small mercy that there is no undersea equivalent of this.

No I know that--except in this recent case of the sherpa who literally stumbled upon someone dying and had to make the choice between saving this person or continuing to guide his guy up the mountain. they both agreed to abandon their ascent to save the person who had run out of oxygen and was dying. totally agree that most people who climb Everest don't fully understand the risks, but I think most people climbing Everest, regardless of your physical ability, recognize that if you collapse, break something, make a wrong turn, etc. you're as good as dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine yourself in a minivan with four other adults in the deep depths of the ocean where you can’t see anything for days and probably are out of provisions and nowhere to use the toilet. You couldn’t pay me enough.

I got stuck (by myself and without a cellphone) in an elevator once for over an hour. That alone was enough to send me into a full blown panic. This sounds unimaginable. I just hope they're taking care of one another and that someone in the group is helping everyone stay as calm as possible until the end. The thought of being the last one alive is also horrifying.

The air quality must be terrible. How can you not panic in that situation with no communication with the outside world?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Can dolphins swim that deep?

No

What about an orca? I'm not saying this would work, but we won't know for sure unless we try.

Ha! They are two miles deep, and the submersible has 17 outer locks in place.

Why 17 outside locks? 17 seems a bit arbitrary.

Sounds like they might have needed 18, or even 20.

Don’t think “insufficient outside locks” was high on the list of potential problems.