To follow up on Oddball's post concerning the letter of concerns sent to Oceangate.

Merchant Marine Society Letter To Oceangate

(This is sourced from New York Times. It's the only PDF of the original I could find)

MTS
marine technology society

March27, 2018
Oceangate Inc
1205CraftsmanWay, Suite112
Everett, WA 98201

Dear Stockton,

This letter is sent on behalf of our industry members who have collectively expressed unanimous concern regarding the development of TITAN and the planned Titanic Expedition. Our apprehension is that the current experimental approach adopted by Oceangate could result in negative outcomes (from minor to catastrophic) that would have serious consequences for everyone in the industry.

The MUV industry has earned itself an enviable safety track record over the past 40 years . This is partly due to the diligent engineering discipline and professional approach exercised by members of the industry, but also due to the collective observation of (and adherence to) a variety of safety standards. This reputation is solid because it was hard won over many years of diligence application and has resulted in a safe and successful record of operation. Our members are all aware of how important and precious this standing is and deeply concerned that a single negative event could undo this.

Your marketing material advertises that the TITAN design will meet or exceed the DNV-GL safety standards, yet it does not appear that Oceangate has the intention of following DNV-GL class rules. Your representation is, at minimum, misleading to the public and breaches an industry-wide professional code of conduct we all endeavor to uphold.

We do all agree that a performance-based testing program for design verification is a recognized and valid approach to new technologies . However, we recommend that at a minimum you institute a prototype testing program that is reviewed and witnessed by DNV-GL (or ABS). While this may demand additional time and expense, it is our unanimous view that this validation process by a third-party is a critical component in the safeguards that protect all submersible occupants.

Together we are all beneficiaries of the excellent safety record of MUV operations over the years; but each one of us is also a steward with a responsibility to sustain this achievement. We would be grateful if you could confirm that Oceangate can see the future benefit of its investment in adhering to our industry accepted safety guidelines and protocols for ultimate success and that of the MUV community

Sincerely yours,

I love the total cop-out con-job of saying "If you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed..." and obvious, useless, disingenuous shit like "All things can fail."

No shit, Sherlock. You're saying nothing, addressing nothing.

I'll say it again- I am glad this arrogant douchebag is dead. We're better off without his stupid shit and his arrogant attitude. It's just very unfortunate that he took four people with him.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I just keep coming back to this being a more merciful death than almost all of us will experience. The speed and intensity of the crushing forces seems to indicate that these people simply winked out of existence and had no sense of any kind about what was happening to them. Here/gone, faster than one's brain can even receive the impulses.

That very same thought occurred to me, too.

There they were, on an exciting adventure, with anticipation of soon seeing something few will ever see in person, and...

*click*.

Snuffed out so to speak, like the film just broke mid scene...Not even a click.

quote:

Originally posted by jsbcody:
Just to add this video for comparison....just a wee bit of difference in the cabin, equipment, and hull.

[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sfGI_6_gvmU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

DSV Limiting Factor is quite the craft:
- Titanium sphere, check
- Syntactic foam, check
- stainless steel and ceramic components, check
- CO2 scrubbers, back-up air, back-up batteries, check
- Multiple comms, check
- certified by DNV to 36,000ft and commercially cleared, check

The twisted part of me wonders now, how many OceanGate employees are now frantically searching for new jobs, and how hard it's going to be to have OceanGate experience in their job histories.

I do feel bad for the families of those who perished in this event. At the same time, I'm solidly in the "no stinking way would I get in that thing" camp.

Maybe Flex Seal wasn't the best component of the design.

Very fascinating video of what went into making and testing the entire DSV, but in particular the titanium sphere of the DSV, which was tested to 14,000 meters… https://youtu.be/pb5j9oeZCm0

quote:

Originally posted by kyledavidzim:
Very fascinating video of what went into making and testing the entire DSV, but in particular the titanium sphere of the DSV, which was tested to 14,000 meters… https://youtu.be/pb5j9oeZCm0

Saw that on page-9 huh?

https://www.foxnews.com/us/tit...ely-operated-vehicle

Efforts to recover the remains of the Titan submersible that suffered a catastrophic implosion near the Titanic wreckage are currently underway, and as of Sunday, had descended to the seafloor for a fourth dive.

South Wellfleet, Massachusetts-based Pelagic Research Services (PRS) was contacted by OceanGate, the company behind Titan, for use of its remotely operated vehicles, or "ROVs," to assist with the search.

The ROV, which is named Odysseus 6K, found the "debris field" in the search area for OceanGate’s missing submersible on Thursday, June 22.

Now, under command of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and U.S. Coast Guard, and assisted by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, PRS is continuing to use the ROV to recover Titan.

For those who want to grind on about carbon fiber, Scott Manley goes on a rant...

For 2 hours?

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
For 2 hours?

That's some rant! Does he implode?

Probably at the 1 hour and 45 minute mark.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Probably at the 1 hour and 45 minute mark.

nope, I checked,
he was talking about some flight restrictions and being intercepted,

I cant figure out what level of crazy this Stockton Rush falls. Pushing the envelope with unconventional methods/materials and cutting corners. However he had enough confidence to put himself inside his own invention.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
However he had enough confidence to put himself inside his own invention.

"Confidence" is not the word which comes to mind.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
However he had enough confidence to put himself inside his own invention.

"Confidence" is not the word which comes to mind.

The guy was supposedly an aerospace engineer before venturing into deep sea stuff, but that doesn't tell the whole picture. Reminds me of Frank Burns on M.A.S.H. when he bragged that from medical school, he graduated 122nd out of a class of 200.