RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] PSUBS in Boating magazine

[<jonw@psubs.org>]

Perhaps I am too sensitive to these things, but I have to say that I'm not impressed with this article.  In my opinion the author didn't convey this as a serious experience and the fact that he ran into a number of issues during his dive I think is unfortunate.

 

 

You can kind of get a flavor of where the article is heading when the author leads off with this comment.

 

"It's beyond cool....now if it only came with torpedoes"

 

 

 

First, the author describes an apparent hatch leak.

 

Ragan's disembodied voice comes over the radio: "What's that sound?"
"Just a little water," I reply.  "No big thing."  The cold stream hits my
neck and runs down my back.  The seat of my jeans absorbs it like a Depends
adult undergarment.  Water pools around my shoes.  Apparently the gusher
isn't going to go away, no matter how long I try to ignore it.  Before
I squeezed inside his one-person Kittrege (sic) K-250 submarine (named
for designer George Kittrege (sic)), Ragan warned me that on this winter
day the O-ring would be cold and inflexible.

 

 

 

Next, the author describes getting hung-up.

 

I'm just spinning in place.  From the muddy 3 foot view through the
porthole between my legs, it's obvious we're not moving forward.  Then
I spot the problem.  "Uh, it looks like we're hung up on something
down here," I say.  "Something metal.  Looks like a milk crate."  To
work the submarine off, I try to ascend a bit, then I try rocking the
submarine from side to side ever so slightly.  But I end up either
still spinning or dragging the crate forward and kicking up enough
silt to muddy the view.  Eventually, I abandon all hope and radio
Ragan that I'm blowing the tanks.

 

 

 

Finally, the author ends the article with this exchange, using a paragraph heading of "Sub Par".

 

"You did better than most of my students," Ragan says once

I've forced open the hatch.

 

"Come on.  I couldn't even steer the damn thing."

 

"It wasn't your fault," he says.  "The wind was pulling my boat, and that
was too much for the submarine to overcome.  Also you didn't panic when
the water was running in."

 

"Pouring in."

 

"Whatever.  I feel comfortable signing you off.  Congratulations."

 

If he's comfortable, then I'm comfortable.  Drenched, freezing, but
comfortable.  Just get me out of this thing and back into a real boat.

 

 

 

I'm not sure this puts Ragan's business, or small recreational subs, in their best light.  Unfortunately, you never know where a reporter or editor is going to take a story ahead of time.  And to be fair, alot of times an editor will dictate to a reporter how they want the story framed.

 

Just my opinion.

 

Jon