Titanic tourist sub goes missing sparking search

[Dan]

Even if they could open the hatch. The pressure hull would flood. They appear to be using the pressure hull as flotation. The main reason to use carbon fiber.
It needs to be lifted clear of the water to open the hatch...
If they flood the pressure hull it probably going to sink before you can get out. You need the surface support no matter what.

It seems to me the whole design is a pressure tube with no hull piercing for wiring etc.
I think they are using radio waves to control everything by having the receiver in a separate housing just outside or against the pressure hull. (They better have at least 2 redundant systems that can take over, )

Overall from what I have seen in pictures and read it doesn't seem like a terrible design... (obviously it needs improvement)

Don't really like the carbon fiber idea.. I would prefer full titanium hull.
There's just something about steel that makes me feel better.

So, basically the hatch is the viewport at the horizontal position of the submersible?

OceanGate Home

oceangate.com

 

[tursiops]

I would guess the main options would be to either somehow activate the Titan's own ascent controls (i.e. try to nudge the ballast release) or attach lift bags of some sort? I feel like a towed cable would be unfeasible at 3,800m.

I've dragged grappling hooks on the bottom at depths like that. But you have to know where to drag.

 

[grf88]

With an IMAX movie available I do have to wonder why you would pay a quarter million dollars and risk your life to view it through a window no larger than a 1970's television set.

 

[Dan]

I don't think they were using much water ballast. They were using cast iron pipes and bags of sand. I'm guessing these could be jettisoned automatically/manually. Pretty basic.

View attachment 788795

How do they release those pipes & sand bags?

One speculation is they were unable to release these “dive weights” and stuck at the bottom of the sea.

 

[Dan]

I've dragged grappling hooks on the bottom at depths like that. But you have to know where to drag.

How about sending the DeepSea Challenger or DSV Limiting Factor Super-Sub to pinpoint the ballast release location.

Deepsea Challenger - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The deepest-ever dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench found litter there

The dive to the ocean’s deepest point turned up some surprises. The news: During a four-hour exploration of the Mariana Trench, retired naval officer Victor Vescovo piloted his submarine to 10,927 meters (35,849 feet) below the sea’s surface, making it the deepest dive on record. He spent four...

www.technologyreview.com

 

[grf88]

At this point I am hoping that my theory of an implosion is incorrect and that they can find a retrieve the sub before the air runs out but by Saturday if they have not been recovered I will be hoping that my theory was correct and that the ending was mercifully swift.

 

[Boarderguy]

At this point I am hoping that my theory of an implosion is incorrect and that they can find a retrieve the sub before the air runs out but by Saturday if they have not been recovered I will be hoping that my theory was correct and that the ending was mercifully swift.

Air runs out tomorrow, Thursday, not Saturday.

 

[grf88]

Air runs out tomorrow, Thursday, not Saturday.

Depends on how many are still breathing.

I recognize that sounds rather gruesome but the entire situation is that.

 

[Manatee Diver]

How about sending the DeepSea Challenger or DSV Limiting Factor Super-Sub to pinpoint the ballast release location.

Deepsea Challenger - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The deepest-ever dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench found litter there

The dive to the ocean’s deepest point turned up some surprises. The news: During a four-hour exploration of the Mariana Trench, retired naval officer Victor Vescovo piloted his submarine to 10,927 meters (35,849 feet) below the sea’s surface, making it the deepest dive on record. He spent four...

www.technologyreview.com

The issue is speed of deployment. Unless they basically sortied resources with the expectation it would be a rescue the moment it was reported missing, it won't arrive on time.

If this was a Navy sub as soon as it was confirmed that one was missing they would start positioning the rescue resources in the area even before it is located.

 

[Dan]

Air runs out tomorrow, Thursday, not Saturday.

Right! Around 9am would be the 96 hours of emergency air supply runs out, assuming everyone inside breathing normally and calmly, which is hard to do in such situation.