[Brian Allen]

<< Submarines are tactically useful for China, especially to enforce its claim on [The FRee Republic of China, (ROC) whose capital city is located on the]island of Taiwan, because they are difficult to detect, and unseen submarines are a powerful deterrent to any enemy. >>

"Deterrent?"

"Enemy?"

Aren't deterrents used AGAINST enemy aggressors?

[Or have the FRee Men of The FRee Republic of China experienced a sudden change of their collective Character?]

[Trickyguy]

They can't drive cars, they can't fly airplanes, and now they can't pilot a sub. What a threat!

[FreePaul]

In addition to oxygen a diesel engine requires fuel to keep running. Sounds as if someone didn't have enough sense to shut off the fuel supply when they submerged. That should be as routine as shutting all of the doors and windows. This isn't the result of a "malfunctioning diesel engine" as described. The engine appears to have been doing exactly what it was designed to do.

[judicial meanz]

Mr Vasey said from Honolulu that "the first thing you do when you dive is you shut off the diesel because it sucks up a lot of air, switch to battery power and close the hatch. People don't forget to shut it down", he said of the diesel engine, which in Ming-class submarines is easily shut off.

Mr Vasey is absolutely right. There are probably multiple ways to secure them, however I dont know Russian submarines, I know American submarines. I doubt this is the REAL way these sailors died, however.

It would take a while for this to happen. It would not be instant. A submarine has a main induction valve that allows air into the engine room for the diesels to operate on. Was it open? or Shut?.

In order for the diesel to operate, the valve had to be open, or a hatch had to be open. If not, a vacuum shutoff would occur, or the crewmembers would manually shut it down(while the vacuum rose, and their ears, sinus cavity, and eyes felt like they were going to be sucked out.Its not something that happens slowly and you dont know about, plus, it hurts really bad

The story insinuates this happened as they dove, yet the submarine was found on the surface. If they dove, the ship would have been negatively or neutrally bouyant, and would have stayed submerged. If they were on the surface, they would have had their hatches or main induction open and probably were exhausting through the muffler.

This leaves the critical moment when the hatches were shut and the main induction was closed for this event to occur properly in their timeline. If the diesel was left running while this occurred, as the hatches and main induction shut, the vacuum began to happen, and the crew knew by the pain they were feeling this happened. They had about 3 minutes or more to fix the problem before they lost consciousness, depending on how many diesels they had operating.

[txzman]

...it is copied from the decades-old Soviet Romeo class, which was based on a German U-boat produced in 1944.

Nothing like modern technology!

[stainlessbanner]

they are difficult to detect, and unseen submarines are a powerful deterrent to any enemy.

I think a diesel engine would be much louder than a nuclear powered ship.

[boris]

"Diesel engine may have sucked out submarine oxygen

Where was Monica?

--Boris

[boris]

We all lived
In a diesel submarine
Diesel submarine,
Diesel submarine.

We all lived in a diesel submarine...

[OrioleFan]

They probably ought to test the sub for SARS.

[putupon]

Carbon Monoxide detectors have been moved to the top of the ChiComs shopping list when the Hildebeast gets elected.

[green team 1999]

"made in china"

[NFOShekky]

The PRC certainly builds crap, but unfortunately they build a lot of it. Pick up any object, knick-knack, etc in your home or office and look where it was made.

[blam]

One of the most irritating things is to be snokleing in an old US diesel boat ( four 1600 HP GMC engines) and have it begin to rain. There is a sensor on the snorkel valve that slams shut when water is detected. The engines are still running and damn near sucks you ear drums out. There is also another sensor that shuts the engines down if the 'vacuum' becomes to great. It apparently did not work on the Chinese boat.

[azhenfud]

"But it's possible we may never know the cause."

Sea gull pitched on the snorkel.