[PSUBS-MAILIST] Hello All

[DSmith4038@aol.com]

             Hello all !! My name is Doug Smith and hail from Whitby, 
Ontario, Canada. I have been involved with the mechanical side of nuclear 
power for almost 30 years. I thought I would join your discussion group on 
PSUBS. The topic interests me and I have great respect for those of you who 
have successfully built subs. To be able to grasp the concept, build a sub 
with your own hands and then to safely pilot it to depths unknown is not a 
feat to ignore. Of course there are always other valuable contributors who 
maybe do not have the knowledge or skills or funds or fortitude or physical 
capabilities to build a sub yet I must tip my hat to them as well for their 
invaluable input. One of our centuries greatest men, Albert Einstein only 
contributed his intellectual knowledge to his fellow mankind. It took other 
great men to convert his theories into nuclear energy & space travel. This is 
the power of a group, immense.
         After having visited many of the web sites on home built subs to get 
a feel for what they are all about I am left with an impression. The subs & 
the people involved  remind me of those involved with home built airplanes 
many years ago. It appears as though PSUBS is in it's infancy. Many people do 
not seem clear on regulatory requirements, safety, use of professional 
standards, etc. In PSUBS "mission statement" there is no clear mention of 
"safety". I guess one could say it is buried in there somewhere but safety 
must be one of those things that is constantly in "your face". In nuclear 
power, safety & the enviroment are our main focus. Cost is secondary. This is 
the way it has to be. If cost is too much then you simply close down rather 
than compromise safety or the enviroment. Put safety where it belongs, 
upfront in every aspect of your projects.
For me to build a sub since I am not an actual Engineer I would want a good 
set of pre-engineered blueprints. There does not seem to be a good assortment 
of these available. There does appear to be some but everyones tastes are not 
always the same. Since plans for my sub are not present I wonder of I could 
design one? Why not? Provided I had the plans checked by a subject matter 
expert P.Eng this is a way I might go. Now comes the confusing part. I like 
to use proven standards for things like view ports, hatches, drives, 
shells,etc,etc but proven standards do not seem readily available off the 
webs. There does seem to be a lot of professional "subject matter experts" in 
the discussion group but rather than jointly making a set of standards for 
critical components each is off doing their own thing. The power of the group 
seems to be faltering. Maybe only conveying different concepts is the purpose 
of this group. Oh well, enough for now. I look forward to the discussions in 
PSUBS!
Regards 
Doug Smith
905-668-5061