Posted on 05/28/2024 1:00:18 PM PDT by lowbridge
An Ohio real-estate investor is planning to take a two-person submersible down to Titanic-level depths to prove that the journey can be carried out safely following the Titan sub's implosion last year.
The investor, Larry Connor, told The Wall Street Journal: "I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way."
He's working with Patrick Lahey, a cofounder and the CEO of the submersible manufacturer Triton Submarines.
They aim to show that such an expedition can be carried out repeatedly and safely despite the implosion of the OceanGate sub in June, which killed all five people on board, including the company's CEO, Stockton Rush.
Lahey said that Connor called him a few days after the implosion and said: "'You know, what we need to do is build a sub that can dive to [Titanic-level depths] repeatedly and safely and demonstrate to the world that you guys can do that, and that Titan was a contraption.'"
Connor, who has been to the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth, said they planned to do the journey in a two-person vessel called the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, named "4000" for the depth in meters it can reach. He did not say when the trip would take place.
Lahey was one of the many industry figures who criticized OceanGate before and after the disaster, accusing it of questionable safety standards.
After the implosion, he described Rush's approach to persuading people to get on board as "quite predatory."
-snip
A former chief submersible pilot for the company said years before the fatal trip that he was worried Rush would get himself and others killed in a "quest to boost his ego."
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Does building one craft count as an “industry”?
I have a feeling these guys won’t be messing around with a composite hull or maneuvering the craft with a video game joystick.
It wasn’t the game controller that squished them, it was the carbon fiber construction which could only handle a few cycles. I think they were pureed on the fourth cycle
Triton rigorously tests their subs in a pressure chamber far exceeding the design depth and there has never been an incident on one of their subs even down to the lowest ocean depths. They hold the record for one sub diving to the 5 lowest places on Earth.
However, their subs are not suitable for tourists since have only 2 seats and are far more expensive. Only one passenger can come down and the cost is probably >$1 million per dive.
Oceangate idiot was trying to go big and go cheap while ignoring the experts. It is an insult to even compare that clownshow to true engineered/certified subs.
And the passenger compartment appears to be spherical, which is basically the perfect shape for external pressure (like an compression arch is for vertical loads), so the only weakness will be the compartment material itself or more likely any joints or and penetration points.
I’m still not volunteering to go.
As far as I’m concerned, just spend your money on better cameras so you can pretend you’re there instead of actually risking it.
***crunch****
LOL!
Titanic depth — 12,500 feet / 3,800 meters / 2,100 fathoms
He has a charge account at Home Depot
And the public will get to pay for the recovery.
While I view this project as nothing more than a rich man stroking his ego, there’s no reason why a properly engineered sub can’t do this safely.
The Navy built two DSRVs with 3 stainless steel balls connected and a fiberglass skin and I heard there was a Set for a Third vehicle!?!
Not sure of it’s rated depth——
Probably CLASSIFIED.
THE GREEN PICKLE was a Gem !
Avalon and Mystic were Decommed afew years
Ago.
This has the potential to be hilarious.
Let me know when he fills the second seat.
That thing looks cool. I wonder how much smaller that sphere gets at depth?
Really? A game controller has to stand up to tremendous abuse and still function.
I'd rather have one of those than a $15 million fragile controller designed by NASA.
Well, we thought we would volunteer you. :-)
After the implosion, he described Rush’s approach to persuading people to get on board as “quite predatory.”
I thought Rush was dead after the implosion.
Don’t hire any boring old white engineers. Use fresh hip exciting millenials with big imaginations....
all wet
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