this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2023
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For those who are unaware: A couple billionaires, a pilot, and one of the billionaires' son are currently stuck inside an extremely tiny sub a couple thousand meters under the sea (inside of the sub with the guys above).

They were supposed to dive down to the titanic, but lost connection about halfway down. They've been missing for the past 48 hours, and have 2 days until the oxygen in the sub runs out. Do you think they'll make it?

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[–] stewsters@lemmy.world 26 points 2 years ago (4 children)

I suspect they imploded.

These super deep subs are traditionally not reused very long, because the stress of the water pressing and then releasing weakens them. The more compression-decompression cycles they take the faster they degrade.

From all the reports, they got a lot of reports of issues that they ignored. I read that one of the reporters who saw it found it to be very jury rigged together. Apparently it was not certified in any way.

Even if they did survive and the ballast worked correctly, they would surface quickly (decompression sickness?) and cannot open the hatch from the inside. The thing doesn't float above the water, so its going to be a pain to find. Also they didn't paint it bright orange with blinking lights, its white, gray, and blue.

Overall, a lot of poor decisions and ignoring advice lead to disaster.

[–] WhiteHawk@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Not an expert, but I don't think the air pressure inside the sub changes, so decompression sickness should be impossible. Don't quote me on that, though

[–] fixmbr@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This would be correct. However, I suspect the air pressure in the sub did change. Very rapidly.

[–] Briguy24@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Unfortunately this seems the most realistic scenario.

[–] overzeetop@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Of all the various ways to provide emergency rescue assistance, it appears that they've included almost nothing which would help them in the event of an underwater failure that prevented surfacing (i.e. emergency ballast release failing).

Apparently it was not certified in any way

My understanding of this is limited to the two paragraphs on CNN, but there is a process for "classing" vessels. The owners decided not to do so as the process only certified that the vessel itself is safe for use, and does not verify the procedures for operation or the training of the crew. Their logic for not classing was that most ocean failures are the result of poor procedures or poor crew decisions, ignoring entirely that the reason most failures fall into those to cases is because the vessels themselves are vetted (via the classing process) to eliminate the hardware as a failure mode. It's almost poetic that the man in charge of that decision is on the craft.

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[–] Almostarctic@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The 5 submariners chances of being rescued are very slim at this point but much much higher than the 500 migrants still missing off the coast of Greece who took to the waters not for a joy ride but to escape war and seek a better life.

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[–] hydra@lemmy.world 16 points 2 years ago

Sadly I don't think so. This incident was absolutely preventable. Someone warned them about this and they got fired. A makeshift vessel that wasn't inspected/certified, immersed to almost 3 times the rated depth, controlled by a wireless Logitech gamepad from 2010 with no redundancy and only 96 hours of oxygen. I really really hope for a last minute miracle though...

[–] quantum_mechanic@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago (11 children)

No, nor do I think they should be. There will be millions of wasted taxpayer dollars wasted on trying to recover rich people's dead bodies. They signed a waiver and knew what they were getting into. There's nothing to be learned from whatever happened, since the company was clearly negligent. Let them rest on the ocean floor beside the other rich assholes.

[–] WhoRoger@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago (7 children)

That's a bit harsh. If there's anything that works in modern society pretty reliably regardless of status, it's search and rescue. Sunk subs can also be an environmental hazard.

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[–] julietOscarEcho@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It's kinda poetic for them to go down next to the titanic, itself a story of complacency and excess/opulance.

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[–] bemenaker@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago (10 children)
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[–] Donjuanme@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago (3 children)

A couple things are potentially different from how op laid them out. (From my understanding)

The vessel was designed to automatically begin resurfacing after a set period of time underwater, even without pilot input, so it might not be very deep at all. The problem is it doesn't sit very high in the water and is very hard to see.

They don't necessarily have 2 days of oxygen left, those were calculated values, and there may be other gaseous build ups that impair the totally oxygen supplies.

I hope it was over quickly for them, I don't know how you could resurface that type of vessel without breaking it. I hope we will find evidence and be able to piece together what happened, but I suspect it'll just be lost at sea. I don't think there's any conspiracy up keep evidence away from the public, I think most people underestimate how difficult it is to find 4 cubic meters inside a 10 cubic kilometer area, hell that would be hard without that area being covered in water.

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[–] nightscout@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (7 children)

Highly doubt it. I've been watching coverage and it seems pretty unlikely they will be found before their oxygen runs out (assuming they are even still alive and haven't died as a result of an implosion).

What irks me with all the coverage, however, is that no one is pointing out the potential harm to all the people involved in trying to rescue these people. The Coast Guard and other outfits undertaking the rescue attempts are put in danger the whole time they are out there. And of course there's the cost involved as well.

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[–] ilickfrogs@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago

Probably not the worst way to go all things considered.

[–] Blue@kbin.social 11 points 2 years ago (13 children)

Just imagine, these idiots spend 250k to sit in a iron tube controlled by a cheap offbrand playstation controller but won't spend any of their money to improve the world. Only satisfying their own ego and greed. I can't feel sorry for them, best I can do is hope that they imploded so they didn't have to suffer too long.

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[–] nomadjoanne@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

Normally I wouldn't sympathize with billionaires, but what a horrible way to die! Sadly I don't think they'll be rescued.

Certainly it is possible that they surfaced once they lost connection though... Even so, the search areas are huge

[–] Faresh@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 years ago (12 children)

I'm a bit confused that this is receiving so much attention. What's so special about this case compared to all the other cases of people being lost at sea every year, besides them being rich?

[–] linearchaos@lemmy.world 15 points 2 years ago (13 children)

Honestly, this case is somewhat extraordinary, in a deeply disturbing way.

First there was this amazing quote from the CEO who is missing on the craft right now

"You know, at some point, safety is just pure waste," Rush told CBS' David Pogue during an episode of his "Unsung Science" podcast. "I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything. At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk-reward question."

Second, aside from being made from questionable experimental materials, the sub was being controlled by an old, off brand xbox controller. There were numerous design and safety issues that were known at the time of departure. They kinda just did whatever in the F they wanted to. It's a millionaire game of Fuck Around and Find Out and they're not used to finding out.

Third, the damage waiver

The disclaimer, read out by CBS correspondent David Pogue, read: “This experimental submersible vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, disability, emotional trauma, or death.”

A nervous-looking Pogue makes a face and says, “Where do I sign?” in the footage recorded when he went on the $250,000 (£195,000) trip to see the Titanic at the end of last year.

I get that it's just some rich idiots (and one of their kids) crossing the river styx, but it's not very often you see such amazing disregard for basic safety.

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[–] Double_A@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (3 children)

No. Chances are high that that submarine just imploded in a millisecond and they just instantly died. Why else would it stop sending pings and completely dissappear otherwise?

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[–] T156@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I don't think that this is the right question for this community, but I'm not optimistic on their rescue.

Even under ideal conditions, the ocean is enormous, and even with all things going well, finding a properly-equipped submarine that wants to be found, can be a bit like a needle in a haystack, at least according to people with more naval experience than I.

I hope that they would be rescued, since suffocating to death in a metal tube that's sealed from the outside seems like rather a horrid way to go, but at the same time, the submersible that is lost was not particularly well equipped. The control system was a wireless game controller which was infamous for having dropout issues. Using controllers is fine and all, since they're often used in commercial and military applications due to their intuitiveness and better ergonomics (plus the manufacturer doesn't have to design and build a new one from scratch), but using one that was infamous for having connection problems was rather tempting fate.

The lost submersible also didn't have anything like an emergency beacon that could be used to locate them, and it was sealed from outside. Even if they managed to resurface, anyone aboard would still be trapped within the tube, unable to get out.

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[–] xaxl@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago

These billionaires just bought themselves something money can't buy, a footnote on a Wikipedia page somewhere that their deaths were loosely related to the Titanic.

Given that every billionaire has blood and suffering on their hands in at least ab abstract fashion and it's hard to feel sorry for them too.

[–] kabukimeow@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I don't like billionaires but of course I wish for their miracle survival. As unlikely as it seems.

And if they don't make it, I hope it was a quick and painless death for all of them...

[–] GONADS125@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (6 children)

Seeing the construction of the submersible, I would not have ridden it... As soon as the inventer said "I got these from, uh, camper world.." I would be scurrying the hell out of that thing...

Apparently the acrylic viewing window was not rated for that depth, and the body of the submersible is constructed from carbon fiber... That whole rig seems sketchy as hell to me...

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[–] FringeTheory999@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I think they discovered the crush depth of their sub was a little shallower than they thought it would be, and are all already dead. The search team says they heard a banging sound, but they’re next to a huge old wreck full of old garbage that is a probably the source of a lot of banging sounds.

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[–] zepheriths@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (5 children)

Wishing death on people is a very garbage take

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago

I don't know that you can really call it wishing. I think that deed is done.

If you want to get up on a high horse, how about this instead of some billionaire?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/17/world/greece-boat-worst-ever-tragedy-mediterranean-sea-intl-hnk/index.html

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[–] MiddleWeigh@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (11 children)

I'm gonna go out on limb and say they're no longer with us.

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[–] HenloHowl@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I mean, I hope they survive but I'm not holding my breath.

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[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Best thing they can do is for most of them to go to sleep and conserve oxygen. Good luck sleeping while afraid for your life though.

[–] cumcum69@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Being realistic, they're probably gonna all be dead, and may never be found

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[–] TheOneWithTheHair@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

Folks, the Titan submersible is a capsule that travelers are sealed into ** from the outside.** The passengers could be adrift on the surface, the air could run out, and they could theoretically suffocate on the surface. It's locked with bolts from the outside. Yeah, the 96 hours of oxygen could be stretched if the passengers conserved their oxygen. That is, if they are not a part of the debris field that was located near the Titanic. Each passing minute now is increasingly likely to change this from rescue to recovery.

[–] SHITPOSTING_ACCOUNT@feddit.de 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)
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[–] Licensed_to_ill@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Sadly, I think they are screwed, they either imploded, they are trapped and dying/dead somewhere with no means of rescue, or possibly surfaced with no comms and stranded somewhere. They ded.

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[–] Thedogspaw@midwest.social 5 points 2 years ago

I think the boat got crushed and they died on the first day its terrible but at least they probably died before they even knew they had a problem

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