Tourist Trip to Titanic Terribly Turns Tragic

[Guadaloopy 10,890]

Are we sure that Rush wasn't secretly suicidal?

[InkaUtexas 25,289]

Reading that article, he might have owed a lot of money.

[thunderlounge 7,701]

23 minutes ago, Guadaloopy said:

Are we sure that Rush wasn't secretly suicidal?

What kind of cocksucker do you have to be to take others with you like that, though?

Fucking super sicko, if so. 

[Ted Lange 15,975]

1 hour ago, Gatorubet said:

Narrator:  It in fact did not work for them

[SL Xpress 7,503]

2 hours ago, Guadaloopy said:

Are we sure that Rush wasn't secretly suicidal?

I guess maybe suicide is on a spectrum? Someone who puts a gun to their head and blows their brains out is on one side of the spectrum. Someone who only goes outside in a hazmat suit made up of bubble wrap would be on the other.

I'd say the guy was hellbent on making a name for himself, had limited resources to do it, was running out of time and funds to make his dream a reality, and was willing to go through with risks other reasonable people would have balked at. He was also willing to take other people's money and put them at risk as well. 

Reading the article it becomes obvious everyone understood deep sea diving involved tremendous risks, and that things could go wrong for any of them. It wasn't the idea that people could possibly die while in a deep sea submersible vehicle that concerned them. They had already gotten past that objection a long time ago. Their concern was how Rush's negligence and hell bent attitude for realizing his vision was going to set back the industry when the inevitable occurred, and it was discovered how reckless he had been the whole time.

I don't know that I would classify that as suicidal, in terms of seeking out his own preferred method of killing himself, as much as just a complete disregard for any risks he was taking because his identity was wholly connected with the success of his venture, and he didn't have the money to spend to make it safer. But again, I'd say these things are somewhat on a spectrum. 

[Rimbo 25,706]

Man, we knew it was bad, but the WIRED article really connects the dots.

If Rush were alive today, he'd deserve to be behind bars. The tragedy is that he took 5 people out with him.

[956 Worldwide 34,241]

How about this fucking gem from the article:

Quote

 David Lochridge, who oversaw marine operations at the company and who needed to sign off on the transfer, became convinced that Titan was unsafe. In January 2018, Lochridge sent Rush a quality-control inspection report detailing 27 issues with the vehicle, from questionable O-ring seals on the domes and missing bolts to flammable materials and more concerns about its carbon-fiber hull. Rush fired him the next day. (Although Lochridge later made a whistleblower report to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration about Titan, Rush sued him for breach of contract. The settlement of that lawsuit resulted in Lochridge dropping his complaint, paying OceanGate nearly $10,000, and signing an NDA. Lochridge did not respond to WIRED.)

I have yet to see compelling evidence that any NDAs are ever creating more benefit from harm but this is especially egregious.  There should be some sort of blanket “no NDA can ever apply if you raise concerns over non-parties’ health and safety.” 

[Surly Bevo 24,686]

50 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

How about this fucking gem from the article:

I have yet to see compelling evidence that any NDAs are ever creating more benefit from harm but this is especially egregious.  There should be some sort of blanket “no NDA can ever apply if you raise concerns over non-parties’ health and safety.” 

Can this guy file suit against a bankrupt/defunct venture on grounds of "see, I told you so"

[Deej 76,398]

3 hours ago, Rimbo said:

Man, we knew it was bad, but the WIRED article really connects the dots.

If Rush were alive today, he'd deserve to be behind bars. The tragedy is that he took 5 people out with him.

[ChiTownDoc 21,074]

You want to be an idiot 'explorer'?  Sure, go ahead...
Taking your son down with you?  What a fucking asshole. 

[Captainant 27,250]

60 minutes Australia published this segment to commemorate the 1yr anniversary of the disaster

Crazy that ocean gate never even reached out to any of the families who lost their loved ones

[gsoda3 3,214]

i'm surprised the titan made it to the titanic as many times as it did before imploding.

[Hermanator 6,863]

On 6/11/2024 at 1:02 PM, thunderlounge said:

What kind of cocksucker do you have to be to take others with you like that, though?

Fucking super sicko, if so. 

He wasn't suicidal at all. 

He was an arrogant, egotistical cocksucker who believed all regulation is unnecessary and is just there to stifle innovation. It said so right in the article. 

A lot of industry is over regulated, but the regulations exist in the first place because many people that came before us died or were otherwise harmed by pieces of shit like this that gave no concern to their lives in pursuit of wealth and power. 

[gofuckyourself 8,099]

Crew of Titan sub knew they were going to die before implosion, according to more than $50M lawsuit

https://apnews.com/article/titanic-submersible-disaster-implosion-lawsuit-ba3efaf4c4dcb766698761206676b655

And so did everyone else.

Anyone aware of Stockton Rush and OceanGate's track record knew they were going to die long before that.

[thunderlounge 7,701]

Quote

According to the lawsuit, the Titan “dropped weights” about 90 minutes into its dive, indicating the team had aborted or attempted to abort the dive.

 

Wow

[InkaUtexas 25,289]

aggy lawyer? Named Buzzbee? Yeah, this will be fun to watch.

 

[smuggs 9,318]

I've always heard that Bryan/College Station is the proverbial Fertile Crescent of subaquatic law.

[gofuckyourself 8,099]

21 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

aggy lawyer? Named Buzzbee? Yeah, this will be fun to watch.

 

That's 3-time failed political candidate and proud aggy Tony Buzbee to you.

Please note he didn't get defeated in these elections, he just ran out of votes.

And don't count him out here, because if anyone knows about implosions and catastrophic failures, it'd be an aggy.

[General Specific 3,213]

aggy lawyer? Named Buzzbee? Yeah, this will be fun to watch.
 

So, he’ll sink this case? Or just an aggy lawyer scraping the bottom!

[thunderlounge 7,701]

58 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

Please note he didn't get defeated in these elections, he just ran out of polling time.

fify

[PTINS 3,438]

4 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

aggy lawyer? Named Buzzbee? Yeah, this will be fun to watch.

 

Bringing in the big gun w/ the Sherman Tank, well … 75 mm any way.

[crash_davis 23,076]

I believe this was published today.

[SquishMitten 10,381]

Google says that image was from June 2023

But maybe this is the first time it’s been made public?

[smuggs 9,318]

Sat in a parking lot uncovered and fully exposed to weather for 7 months.

Struck by fucking lightning lol. Holy shit.

Over 100 documented equipment issues.

 

My Grandad's old Glastron had tighter safety protocols.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13855727/titan-oceangate-hearing-titanic-submarine-disaster.html

 

Edited September 16 by smuggs

[thunderlounge 7,701]

If there is anyone left with any responsibility, they should get fucked. 

[Gatorubet 30,023]

On 6/11/2024 at 8:19 PM, 956 Worldwide said:

How about this fucking gem from the article:

I have yet to see compelling evidence that any NDAs are ever creating more benefit from harm but this is especially egregious.  There should be some sort of blanket “no NDA can ever apply if you raise concerns over non-parties’ health and safety.” 

if the guy had had a spine and not worried about his financial fortune, if he loses the suit, people might still be alive.   it is an interesting thing when your personal well-being intersects with the possibility of innocent people being killed.    That was one opportunity to stop this from happening that was missed. 

[Captainant 27,250]

AP News: A key employee says the Titan sub tragedy could have been prevented

Quote

 

“I believe that if OSHA had attempted to investigate the seriousness of the concerns I raised on multiple occasions, this tragedy may have been prevented,” he said while speaking before a commission trying to determine what caused the Titan to implode en route to the wreckage of the Titanic last year, killing all five on board. “As a seafarer, I feel deeply disappointed by the system that is meant to protect not only seafarers but the general public as well.”

Earlier in the day, Lochridge said he frequently clashed with the company’s co-founder and felt the company was committed only to making money.

Lochridge was one of the most anticipated witnesses to appear before a commission. His testimony echoed that of other former employees Monday, one of whom described OceanGate head Stockton Rush as volatile and difficult to work with.

“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” Lochridge said. “There was very little in the way of science.”

...

OceanGate’s former engineering director, Tony Nissen, kicked off Monday’s testimony, telling investigators he felt pressured to get the vessel ready to dive and refused to pilot it for a journey several years before Titan’s last trip. Nissen worked on a prototype hull that predated the Titanic expeditions.

“‘I’m not getting in it,’” Nissen said he told Rush.

OceanGate’s former finance and human resources director, Bonnie Carl, testified Monday that Lochridge had characterized the Titan as “unsafe.”

Lochridge said during testimony Tuesday that eight months after he filed a federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaint, a caseworker told him the agency had not begun investigating it yet and there were 11 cases ahead of his. By then, OceanGate was suing Lochridge and he had filed a countersuit.

About 10 months after he filed the complaint, he decided to walk away. The case was closed and both lawsuits were dropped.

“I gave them nothing, they gave me nothing,” he said of OceanGate.

Coast Guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. That and Titan’s unusual design subjected it to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community.

 

Also came out in the hearing today was a striking graph that was shared with Oceangate by Boeing engineers, the skull and crossbones was added before sharing with Oceangate to underline how unsafe their design was

Edited September 17 by Captainant

[crash_davis 23,076]

 

If I were about to descend to the depths where a tiny weak point would cause catastrophic failure, I'd be a little worried that there's a ratchet strap holding something together on the orb of death. 

[elfenix 34,161]

21 hours ago, Captainant said:

AP News: A key employee says the Titan sub tragedy could have been prevented

Also came out in the hearing today was a striking graph that was shared with Oceangate by Boeing engineers, the skull and crossbones was added before sharing with Oceangate to underline how unsafe their design was

When Boeing says your shit is unsafe...

[Brisketexan 104,233]

1 hour ago, crash_davis said:

 

If I were about to descend to the depths where a tiny weak point would cause catastrophic failure, I'd be a little worried that there's a ratchet strap holding something together on the orb of death. 

I dunno, man....I got a pretty nice ratchet strap set from Harbor Freight a few years back.  I bet it's up to the job.

[Deej 76,398]

2 hours ago, crash_davis said:

 

If I were about to descend to the depths where a tiny weak point would cause catastrophic failure, I'd be a little worried that there's a ratchet strap holding something together on the orb of death. 

It looks like the strap held. 

[aggie08 21,293]

I bet they told the same, "Don't worry, it's not structural" joke to everyone who ever saw it.

[Post Oak 20,174]

The best engineered item on that sub is a Husky strap from Home Depot you can buy 4 for 19.99.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,795]

The best engineered item on that sub is a Husky strap from Home Depot you can buy 4 for 19.99.

Well we don’t know if the video game controller is still in tact…

[Pimphand 5,552]

 

[Deej 76,398]

aggy should look into those straps. Elko could use a good belt.

[BamaATL 16,592]

Of course that hd ratchet strap holds at the bottom of the ocean, but use it to tie down a ladder and you are fucked.  

[Lhorn 4,875]

The thought the computer generated simulations of the implosion suggested the vessel turned into complete rubble.  I hate to think there was more than a split second of awareness of what was going on for those poor bastards.  

[Captainant 27,250]

Scott Manley put out a great recap video from the hearing and recently releasing images, and provides some analysis on the wreckage site photos

Surprising detail from the video: the main structural engineer that was fired after expressing safety concerns had previously worked on the SRB's for the space shuttle. Jeeze what an unfortunate run of shitty management for him. 

[Jkwellborn 6,616]

Well we don’t know if the video game controller is still in tact…

Gotta put it in rice to see if it still works.

[Jkwellborn 6,616]

It looks like the strap held. 

They must have flicked it a few times and said, that will do.

[Deej 76,398]

They should have built the entire thing out of ratchet straps. 

[Pimphand 5,552]

Imagine refusing to hire qualified engineers because they were 50 year old white dudes who are not inspiring only to build your own coffin and kill two billionaires in the process along with you.  SUCCESS!!!  I do feel bad for the son though....  That Nargeolet agreed to go on that expedition at all is the one that shocks me given his close ties to James Cameron who unlike Rush actually knows what the fuck he's doing.

[Captainant 27,250]

Scott Manley has a great final overview video that incorporates all the new stuff we've learned from the NTSB investigation. They found pretty conclusive evidence of delamination in the carbon fiber, and have linked it to specific construction techniques used.

They hit a bunch of snags like small errors that would propagate with additional layers of CF, so they would stop every inch and machine it smooth (which breaks the fiber on the circumference!!) and then lay down another round until propagated waves got too bad. And to top it off, there's imperfections between each of those "super" layers too. They also observed and heard a big BANG on her 80th dive and the onboard strain gauges noted that the hull was flexing differently after the event. Oceangate changed nothing and kept diving the same hull. 

Just an absolute boondoggle. Gonna be taught in engineering ethics courses alongside Challenger and 737MAX

Edited September 30 by Captainant