Titanic tourist sub goes missing sparking search
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Titanic tourist submersible goes missing with search under way
Rescuers are searching for a submersible used to take tourists and experts to view the famous wreck.
www.bbc.com
A 5 person sub, said to be charging a quarter million bucks per seat to take tourists down, is missing near the titanic wreck. Depth is roughly 13k ft. I don't know this sub specifically, but other civilian subs that I have seen were set up with rebreather systems that are larger versions of the back packs that divers here sometimes use. I typically see multiple O2 cylinders that are 100cf or larger. This sub is reported to carry a 96 hour oxygen supply. AIS is currently showing a lot of tugs & special purpose vessels in the area of the wreck, which is commonly reported as being 41°43′32″N 49°56′49″W. That's the "roaring 40's" area of the North Atlantic.
Rearviewmirror
Contributor
For folks who are interested in the history of deep submersibles I highly recommend the book "Expedition Deep Ocean: The First Descent to the Bottom of All Five of the World's Oceans".
I definitely hope there is a miracle and all souls on board are found alive, but unfortunately I don't feel very optimistic with what I have read about this submersible. It sounds as if Oceangate was not classed/certified. My remembrance from the book is that to be a classed vessel you not only have to be tested to well beyond the intended MOD, but also complete two open ocean dives to become classified (spec sheet of the Limiting Factor from the Five Deeps expedition here). It appears Titan was only "rated" to 4,000m - which is only slightly beyond the depth of the Titanic.
The Limiting Factor suffered a broad range of issues despite its rating, and failed multiple times to reach the Titanic (despite successfully diving the deepest point of all five of the Earth's oceans). Everything from power failures to life support failures and leaks. Going to the depth of the Titanic is far closer to going into space than it is any other sort of typical submarine experience - the crush rating of military submarines is stated at around 900 - 1200m, and even if there is a lot of classified shenanigans, I would be surprised if they were operating at more than 3x that depth.
I can't find any mention anywhere of EPIRBs being on board, and given that the external hatch to the vessel is bolted down from the outside, even if the Titan has surfaced, the crew inside would have no way of escaping in the event that they have surfaced and are not located topside. Given ocean conditions in this part of the Atlantic, that is extremely worrisome if they don't have some sort of locator beacon that is independently powered.
Unfortunately my read is a sudden event that led to immediate rapid loss of hull integrity and loss of the vessel. If they are somehow trapped at depth with no power, there are only 3 vessels conceivably equipped with reaching them at depth - Limiting Factor (I have no idea if it is operational), DeepSea Challenger (I believe it is still inoperable post-fire), and a Russian sub whose name I can't recall. There are autonomous vehicles capable of operating at this depth, but there would be myriad challenges in tethering to the Oceangate and successfully resurfacing it at that sort of depth.
I definitely hope there is a miracle and all souls on board are found alive, but unfortunately I don't feel very optimistic with what I have read about this submersible. It sounds as if Oceangate was not classed/certified. My remembrance from the book is that to be a classed vessel you not only have to be tested to well beyond the intended MOD, but also complete two open ocean dives to become classified (spec sheet of the Limiting Factor from the Five Deeps expedition here). It appears Titan was only "rated" to 4,000m - which is only slightly beyond the depth of the Titanic.
The Limiting Factor suffered a broad range of issues despite its rating, and failed multiple times to reach the Titanic (despite successfully diving the deepest point of all five of the Earth's oceans). Everything from power failures to life support failures and leaks. Going to the depth of the Titanic is far closer to going into space than it is any other sort of typical submarine experience - the crush rating of military submarines is stated at around 900 - 1200m, and even if there is a lot of classified shenanigans, I would be surprised if they were operating at more than 3x that depth.
I can't find any mention anywhere of EPIRBs being on board, and given that the external hatch to the vessel is bolted down from the outside, even if the Titan has surfaced, the crew inside would have no way of escaping in the event that they have surfaced and are not located topside. Given ocean conditions in this part of the Atlantic, that is extremely worrisome if they don't have some sort of locator beacon that is independently powered.
Unfortunately my read is a sudden event that led to immediate rapid loss of hull integrity and loss of the vessel. If they are somehow trapped at depth with no power, there are only 3 vessels conceivably equipped with reaching them at depth - Limiting Factor (I have no idea if it is operational), DeepSea Challenger (I believe it is still inoperable post-fire), and a Russian sub whose name I can't recall. There are autonomous vehicles capable of operating at this depth, but there would be myriad challenges in tethering to the Oceangate and successfully resurfacing it at that sort of depth.
Since this submersible is electrically tethered to the ship at the surface, and it is reported they have lost contact with the submersible then they would be able to reel back in the electrical line. I would assume the electrical line isn't designed to be strong enough to reel the submersible back to the surface. If they reel the electrical line back in they would understand how much if any of the line is missing. Was it cut off by something sharp, of torn off by an entanglement issue, or being ripped apart? How close were they to the bottom when communication was lost? Did the submersible continue to take more line? If it is still connected it will much easier to find.
Apparently, the sub weighs about 10000kg, so it would not likely be possible to reel it up on a comms wire.
Specs here: Titan Submersible
Yes it weighs 10,000 kgs on the surface but not underwater.
Rearviewmirror
Contributor
It weighs the same regardless of any buoyancy characteristics - add in additional drag from the water resistance of pulling anything up through the water.
Where did you read that it is tethered?
If the tether is entangled it is likely they would know the location of the vessel, and by all accounts I have read it is currently “lost” rather than entrapped.
Reading this YouTube video - "customer service" is reporting...
The submersible sent a distress signal before it was lost. Hydrophones operated by the USGS detected a sound consistent with an underwater implosion. Surface debris has been spotted as of 0746 GMT.
The submersible sent a distress signal before it was lost. Hydrophones operated by the USGS detected a sound consistent with an underwater implosion. Surface debris has been spotted as of 0746 GMT.
telemonster
Contributor
Some interesting stuff:
www.compositesworld.com
Composite submersibles: Under pressure in deep, deep waters
Manned deepsea exploration calls for a highly engineered composites solution that saves weight and preserves life — at 6,500-psi service pressure.
www.compositesworld.com
Rearviewmirror
Contributor
Yeah I don't think I'd give much credence to anything written by this account:
