Holly Patrick @ The Independent:
The OceanGate CEO believed to be missing on board a Titanic exploration submersible described how the vessel was “built with camping” parts and operated with a “game controller” in a resurfaced video.
In November 2022, Stockton Rush told CBS the Titan craft was built with “off-the-shelf components.”
Pointing at parts of the vessel, Mr Rush said: “We can use these off-the-shelf components. I got these from Camping World.
“We run the whole thing with this game controller,” he added, picking up a gamepad.
Reporter David Pogue said pieces of the submersible seemed “improvised,” but Mr Rush told him the vessel would be “safe” even if parts didn’t work.
Mr Rush is believed to be among the five-person crew aboard the craft.
100% correct. Game controllers are used in many industrial applications because they are designed to be reliable and durable even in the face of 10 year olds throwing them at walls. They are also interfaced with easy, well-understood protocols and can be easily replaced with off-the-shelf spares.
Where the Titan fails as a submersible is the almost macho and cavalier attitude towards basic safety at almost every level. Simple implements like audio transducers, a sonar system, or even a way to signal when surfaced were skipped in the name of the most bargain-basement craft that could be designed.
Even the use of carbon fiber was a serious red flag. We usually think of carbon fiber as a strong material, and in most cases it is. However, it fails insidiously: it slowly accumulates damage and weakens over time. The active monitoring system they built into the hull, if some sources are to be believed, never worked correctly because of faulty software.
Perhaps the surprise isn't that this whole situation happened. Perhaps the real surprise is that it took this long for disaster to strike.