floofloofJun 23, 2023

‘You’re remembered for the rules you break’: OceanGate CEO who was piloting the Titan admitted in 2021 that the sub’s construction had ‘broken some rules’

https://lemmy.ca/post/866202

‘You’re remembered for the rules you break’: OceanGate CEO who was piloting the Titan admitted in 2021 that the sub’s construction had ‘broken some rules’ - Lemmy.ca

“I’d like to be remembered as an innovator,” he said, speaking from the interior of one of OceanGate’s submersibles. “I think it was [famous American General Douglas] MacArthur that said, ‘You’re remembered for the rules you break.’” “I have broken some rules to make this,” he conceded. “I think I’ve broken them with logic and good engineering behind me. The carbon fiber and titanium—there is a rule that you don’t do that. Well, I did.”

Show threadHeapOfDogsJun 23, 2023
Yikes. I appreciate that some people love to do extreme things, but this one just seems like a bad idea. You couldn't pay me to ever get into a sub like this.
Show threadCarbonIceDragonJun 23, 2023
Honestly, it's almost certainly possible to make a deep sea tour sub like this that's reasonably safe, if even more expensive (though given the only clientele for this kind of tourism is so incredibly rich I'm not sure this really matters). Consider that subs capable of operating at this depth have existed for a long time, for example, the Alvin , which was built in the 60s, can go to the wreck of the Titanic and even deeper, and yet still gets used today.
DSV Alvin - Wikipedia

Show threadMay

Wow apparently that Alvin was built by General Mills! (Electronic division.) Like the cereal company. Also it say:

In an emergency, if Alvin were stuck underwater with occupants inside, the outer body, or cladding, of the submersible could be released and discarded using controls inside the hull. The titanium sphere would then rise to the surface uncontrolled.

That's a good idea. I wonder if they just are not allowed to go on the alvin no matter how much they pay, and thats why they chose other option?

Jun 24, 2023 at 5:40pmWeb