Comments by "Polar Vortex" (@polarvortex3294) on "Solar Eclipse Timer" channel.

  1.  @cmendoza1094  Rush famously claimed that somewhere between safety-obsessed over-engineering and a shoddy build that guaranteed disaster lay a middle zone within the parameters of which he could build the Titan, at a lower cost than other submersibles, much of the over-engineering, in his eyes, being a costly and unnecessary "waste." Indeed, he went on to sometimes hint that the other submersible-makers actually knew that the over-engineering was a waste, but (in a conspiracy, basically) exaggerated the safety-based need to "avoid coming close," as you say, to keep the cost of submersibles way up and keep "innovative" outsiders out of the industry. And things like that example of paranoia make me agree with some of the others here that a bit of madness was present in the man's personality, along with the raw cheapness that you've noted.
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  2. Seems to me that a new submersible should be constructed using the exact same procedures as were used to construct the doomed craft and then subjected to the kind of intensive testing that Stockton Rush was reluctant to have his own craft endure. We would know a lot more then.
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  3. Even worse than that arrogant way of thinking, perhaps, was his semi-paranoid idea that the conservative (safe) ways of constructing & operating a deep sea vessel established by the submersible community were created, in part, to raise the cost of entry into that exclusive club and help ice out any "innovative" newcomers.
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  4. They seemed really reckless with that hull. I mean, I worry about leaving $10 flower pots out over winter. And don't forget that the craft made a tour around much of America, to help ramp up interest, towed on a trailer, I believe; plus the infamous way it was towed out to sea once they switched to the smaller ship.
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  5. My understanding is that the hull was also a bit thinner than they had intended it to be. Seven inches was recommended by someone, but they ended up going with five so that the titanium endcaps (which only would accept five) used on the first Titan could be re-used. Cheapness and shortcuts and guesswork were to be found everywhere throughout that craft!
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  6. But wouldn't leaving the wrinkles in place have been even worse? Couldn't sanding them down have been the best measure to take, given the circumstances, short of scrapping the whole project?
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  7. Well, we still don't know if hull-failure caused the implosion. The hubris of Stockton created other likely suspects that can't be completely dismissed -- like the unrated controversial viewport and its interface with the submersible, along with the glued-on titanium endcaps, which meshed imperfectly with the rest of the carbon fiber craft.
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  8. Fascinating observation.
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  9. He must have fooled himself, though, at least to some degree, otherwise he would not have gone aboard. Perhaps by the end he was starting to view himself as lucky, or destined to weather the financial storm somehow.
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  10. Everyone agrees it's bad, in a way. But wouldn't it have been even worse to leave the humps as-is? This would have just made every succeeding layer worse and worse. Seems to me that once they had embarked on their sloppy production technique, the jerry-rigged sanding "solution" to the humps might have been the best option short of scrapping the project altogether.
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  11.  @jfh667  That's pretty clear thinking by you. And the way you lay it out leaves no room for argument. I can only wonder what would have happened if you had been there -- what could they have said to dismiss or refute your words? Sounds like you would have been another one that Stockton fired!
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  12. One reason to care is that there are lessons to be learned from this tragic story. Although I guess Feynman had already learned one of the main ones, as evidenced by his very interesting quote.
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  13. I'm somewhat impressed that he managed to create his little empire, with employees, customers, test vessels, financial backers, press interviews, etc. Of course, even the business side was showing great strain by the end... Still, he did go from a hazy dream in his head to looking at the Titanic alongside rich customers; and having them treat him with deference while at sea.
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