Missing Titanic Sub

[KevinB]

Having done one wreck dive, I can’t claim to have any interest in doing one ever again.

I don’t see the appeal of this sort of thing at all.

 

[dapaterson]

Apparently the submersible is bolted shut from the outside, so even if they surface, they can't exit without assistance.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Pisces III was a Canadian submersible. Involved in the 1973 rescue was CCGS John Cabot (a cable ship that was docked in Swansea at the time) from which the US Navy's rescue submersible (CURV) was launched. According to my brother (who was serving on Cabot at the time) it was quite the intricate operation.

I have a book on my shelf about that rescue.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Having done one wreck dive, I can’t claim to have any interest in doing one ever again.

I don’t see the appeal of this sort of thing at all.

Having trained to do this, I really liked this video

 

[medicineman]

Apparently the submersible is bolted shut from the outside, so even if they surface, they can't exit without assistance.

Submersible rescue vehicle SHOULD be able to dock and open from the outside...should being the operative word. Otherwise they'll just have to find it, buckle onto it and haul it up.

 

[OldSolduer]

Apparently the submersible is bolted shut from the outside, so even if they surface, they can't exit without assistance.

Ok . Not a good situation is it?

Who designed this and would any reputable navy in the world ever use it?

 

[FSTO]

Submersible rescue vehicle SHOULD be able to dock and open from the outside...should being the operative word. Otherwise they'll just have to find it, buckle onto it and haul it up.

All submarines are to have a universal emergency recovery hatch. That is all military submarines. Commercial subs? No idea.

These dudes are going through hell right now.

 

[OldSolduer]

All submarines are to have a universal emergency recovery hatch. That is all military submarines. Commercial subs? No idea.

These dudes are going through hell right now.

FWIW I think they went through hell already.
I wonder if it was a catastrophic failure.

 

[medicineman]

All submarines are to have a universal emergency recovery hatch. That is all military submarines. Commercial subs? No idea.

These dudes are going through hell right now.

I seem to remember that from my SUBSAR involvement...they never actually covered whether that applied to these sorts of boats though.

I'd hazard to guess they're chatting with Satan as we speak right now TBH.

 

[dapaterson]

The tender, Polar Prince, is apparently a surplus CCG vessel, the former CCGS Sir Humphrey Gilbert .

 

[brihard]

All submarines are to have a universal emergency recovery hatch. That is all military submarines. Commercial subs? No idea.

These dudes are going through hell right now.

This submersible goes vastly deeper than any military combat sub. The pressures it has to withstand are absolutely enormous. You couldn’t pay be enough to do down in one of those.

 

[dapaterson]

You say that now, but after signing the waiver that says "this unlicensed submersible is unregistered, untested, completely experimental and you acknowledge all that massive risk and waive any claims" would you still feel the same?

 

[NavyShooter]

 

[NavyShooter]

That video is a pretty good explainer based on publicly available info.

Good news - the designer was apparently onboard, so he cannot foist his crazy designs upon anyone else ever again.

I suspect that at this point it's done for them. That was my opinion from the start, unfortunately.

If you consider how hard it was to find the Titanic originally at 12,000 feet, imagine how much harder it is to find a carbon-fiber tube with some titanium end caps amidst that same debris field.

Apparently, overstressed Carbon Fiber reacts to depths like this by shattering. So. Likely it was quick.

Using ASW aircraft and Sonobouys to search is as much as they really can do at this point.

NS

 

[lenaitch]

I wonder if it was a catastrophic failure.

Mercifully quick would be my preferred choice vs slowly freezing to death of hypoxia.

 

[KevinB]

This submersible goes vastly deeper than any military combat sub.

At least that is OS admitted by any Navy…

The pressures it was supposed to withstand are absolutely enormous.

FIFY

You couldn’t pay be enough to do down in one of those.

Ditto.

find a carbon-fiber tube with some titanium end caps amidst that same debris field.

ugh - neither of those materials are what I’d personally like to use for that sort of pressure.
I see the appeal of both Carbon Fiber and a non ferrous metal like Ti for certain military applications, but not for a pressure vessel like that.

Stealth Submarine sure — but deep diving commercial application, color me disinterested.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Carbon fibre is likely for the outside shell and the the pressure tubes are metal.

 

[KevinB]

JFC, that’s even worse than I had imagined.
I had assumed some sort of Ti lattice to both support the Carbon Fiber tube / and to tie in the front and rear caps.
The rest of the video just makes me cringe with how much was apparently left out of the design.

 

[KevinB]

Carbon fibre is likely for the outside shell and the the pressure tubes are metal.

Oh watch the video. It’s goes over the construction.

It’s much worse than you could envision.

 

[medicineman]

I think I'll skip that...