Titan's implosion

[Puma Cat]

The implosion of the Titan submersible was tragic, but according to many experts in the field, very likely preventable.
Some reference information, including a story published in the Washington Post.

https://shorturl.at/ivzG0

The failure mode (a failure mode is anything that can go wrong) was very likely due to the central hull being made of a carbon-fibre composite. It's well-known that carbon-fibre can be a very strong material when used in applications where it's under tension, but not...compression. Moreover, the designer of Titan, Stockton Rush, did not heed the warnings from other submersible designers about this risks of using these materials for these types dives, and did not utilize the body of knowledge of materials sciences and engineering requirements to mitigate the failure mode that led to this catastrophic implosion.

Furthermore, Stockton Rush did not obtain a safety certification for Triton, either. The real tragedy in all this is that this event was very likely preventable if the OceanGate had designed Triton properly and obtained the appriopriate safety certifications.

In fact, Stockton Rush is quoted as saying “You know, there’s a limit. At some point safety just is pure waste. Ref here: https://jalopnik.com/oceangate-ceo-c...tan-1850560257

Moreover, OceanGate fired employee David Lochridge in 2018 after he expressed concern about the submersible's safety, claiming Lochridge had breached his employment contract by disclosing confidential information with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration when he filed a whistleblower complaint with the agency.

In response, Davide Lochridge sued OceanGate for wrongful termination because of the concerns he raised about it's safety:

"In his complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Lochridge alleged he had raised concerns about the safety of the Titan with OceanGate and advised the company to conduct more testing of the the vessel's hull. Lochridge said he had disagreed with his employer about the best way to test the safety of the sub and that he objected to OceanGate's decision to perform dives without "non-destructive testing to prove its integrity."

James Cameron, who has designed and engineered several submersibles and has safely dived on the site of the Titanic over 30 times, discusses this very point here with Anderson Cooper.
https://youtu.be/5XIyin68vEE

And here with ABC's Phil Lipof:
https://youtu.be/e9YB31ElEFQ

And here on NBC News:
https://youtu.be/5XIyin68vEE

[Masterlu]

Stephen… thank you for sharing this information. This is so tragic on many levels.

“Safety a Waste”

[clpetersen]

Thank you Stephen for sharing.

I do feel for the 19 year-old who was onboard and the families of those who perished who must now deal with the aftermath.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Stephen… thank you for sharing this information. This is so tragic on many levels.

“Safety a Waste”

Agreed, Ivan.

In some respects, this reminds me of the situation on Kansas, where the state legislature repealed a mandatory motorcycle safety helmet law. Kansas saw a 60% increase in motorcycle fatalities in the year following repeal of the mandatory helmet law. The bottom line here is that the road, much like the ocean, doesn't care one whit about one's "sensibilities". Both will kill people that act with stupidity with respect to the very real risk factors posed by these environments. The real tragedy is that both are completely preventable.

[Masterlu]

How ironic;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2_Sx2gAzBY

[PeterMusic]

I agree with the multi-level tragedy and the motorcycle law similarity, and I'm especially sad for the 19 yo who probably thought he could count on his Dad.

I'll also add that it is funny to me that as a society we sometimes invest so much in resources to aid a small number of people while we remain indifferent to the plight of masses of people. I don't say this in an accusatory fashion, I find myself drawn to the story much more than the rational piece of my brain tells me I should be

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by PeterMusic

I agree with the multi-level tragedy and the motorcycle law similarity, and I'm especially sad for the 19 yo who probably thought he could count on his Dad.

I'll also add that it is funny to me that as a society we sometimes invest so much in resources to aid a small number of people while we remain indifferent to the plight of masses of people. I don't say this in an accusatory fashion, I find myself drawn to the story much more than the rational piece of my brain tells me I should be

Agreed. Just last week about 300 Pakistani refugees drowned from a overcrowded fishing trawler that capsized off the coast of Greece. This tragedy got way less coverage than the Titan implosion.

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Agreed. Just last week about 300 Pakistani refugees drowned from a overcrowded fishing trawler that capsized off the coast of Greece. This tragedy got way less coverage than the Titan implosion.

And way fewer resources. I’m very sorry for the families, but the millions spent by multiple countries to try to save a handful of wealthy intentional risk-takers who were most likely doomed from the start is really off kilter.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by Antonmb

And way fewer resources. I’m very sorry for the families, but the millions spent by multiple countries to try to save a handful of wealthy intentional risk-takers who were most likely doomed from the start is really off kilter.

Could not agree more, Tony.

On a more postive note, hope you're doin' well, buddy. Cheers.

[Antonmb]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Could not agree more, Tony.

On a more postive note, hope you're doin' well, buddy. Cheers.

Cheers to you too Stephen!