Dave this is the first I have heard of this
incident and for one would like to know more
about it. I agree we should discuss it.
Dean
In a message dated 1/16/2011 2:06:38 A.M. Central Standard Time,
dbartsch2236@hotmail.com writes:
To all: In the course of my
sonar testing, I make a point to share not only my successes but also my
failures. The reason I do this is so that anyone following in my footsteps
could avoid the same mistakes and pitfalls as I have and in so
doing be more productive as a result. Some mistakes made with submarines
end up being fatal. This past July at the PSUB convention in
Fort Pierce, Florida, the only attending operational submarine literally sank
during this event. This is to say that without outside rendered assistance,
this vessel would not have been able to again see the surface.
In that none of the three persons aboard were killed or even
injured and the submarine once resting on the bottom of the dive site posed no
navigational hazard, I would downgrade this ordeal a
simple incident. It was put out that a club only forum
discussion of this mishap so as to determine what exactly led to this event
would take place by years end. I may have missed this discussion but have thus
far heard nothing. It is my opinion that this club could learn
volumes on how best to conduct safe submarine operations from this single
event if only we as a group could see past any embarrassment or bruised egos
this would inflict if placed out for open for unbiased evaluation.
To me it is disappointing to see that rather than be
transparent that some mistakes and laps of safety may have taken place at this
event, we as a group would rather completely forget it happened and hence
learn and share nothing. The next time we may not be so fortunate. History has
a way of repeating itself...it's best not to ignore it. I have
heard much on our forum regarding standards and codes of construction
but what about operational checklists and procedures? Are these not of equal
importance? In other dangerous sports such as high powered
rocketry, a single individual whose word was unquestioned could terminate or
alter an activity by simply giving the order to do so. From what I could tell
(and in my opinion) at this activity no such authority exists. This simply
must change. It would be very unfair if I also did not bring
up the fact that we as a team were able to salvage this submarine. In that the
subject of recovering a sunken submarine has come up from time to time in our
forum, I would think we would have been proud of having performed this feat
and share just how this was accomplished. Not all went well
even at this task and for this reason in my opinion this should be discussed
in great detail as future salvage operations would go a whole lot smoother if
it were. Some important items could be built into these small submarines that
could aid in this area a great deal. How many people then present will now be
carrying loose cloth rags aboard seeing how these hindered this salvaging
effort? I feel it less important to have an unblemished safety
record than it would be to ensure we all go home at the end of a day of
diving. With safety there should be no secrets or
compromise...ever. As my wife's health continues to decline
and this finds me evermore in the role of caregiver, it would seem my
contributions to this hobby are soon to come to an end. I do feel that
this last act of honest criticism should make each of us take
pause. To the many of you with whom I have worked closely I
bid you a fond farewell and wish your days be filled with smooth sailing and a
following sea. Perhaps someday I can once again devote
more time to this area of study I find so interesting. David
Bartsch P.S.: If anyone finds a pair of eyeglasses near our
submarine operations area in Fort Pierce, chances are there
mine. =
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