He has some good points but I think the main reason this article exists is because he's a celebrity.
I'd value criticism from an expert in submarine construction much higher.
I'd value criticism from an expert in submarine construction much higher.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_descended...
I would like to know details on the design and why specifically it's bad. Saying "it's poorly designed because Cameron says so" is not good enough. There is more detail in the YouTube videos from actual marine engineers on why specifically a carbon fiber hull is bad, why acoustic testing is insufficient, etc. They're not known and not relatable to the public yet more informative. That's my point.
It’s also worth mentioning he was the first ever person to reach it solo.
https://www.curbed.com/2022/12/ray-dalio-james-cameron-trito...
Also:
> And in 2012, Cameron was the first person to conduct a solo expedition to the deepest known part of the ocean floor, the Pacific's 10,994-meter-deep Mariana Trench.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/z434n5/meet-ron-allum-engine...
Personally I think he knew the outcome earlier this week and waited to speak to the media out of respect for the families. His first interview was hours after the implosion announcement.
As he says, it’s a very tight knit community in which he is a part of and has been for almost 30 years. I think he’s trying to use his voice to ensure that collateral damage does not occur to other less reckless submersible makers, who in turn tried to warn OceanGate.
I saw him saying it was an implosion several days ago. I think the media just didn't follow up with him until there was more hard evidence.
I was surprised when he told ABC that he had heard they were trying to resurface and that they were probably aware that the hull was failing due to the alarm system the Titan was equipped with.
These folks aren't explorers, they're tourists. Robert Ballard was the explorer who had to invent deep water exploration methods from scratch, his input is valid.
More people will click on a link to what Cameron is saying than Ballard (who's he) and we all know thats all that matters nowadays anyway.
Tyson talks about science, and works to popularize it. The better analogy here would be after a space shuttle accident they ask a former NASA astronaut for their opinion and to share their own personal experience traveling to space.
From Wikipedia:
In 2011, Cameron became a National Geographic explorer-in-residence.[132] In his role on March 7, 2012, he dived five miles deep to the bottom of the New Britain Trench with the Deepsea Challenger.[133] 19 days later, Cameron reached the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench.[134][135][136] He spent more than three hours exploring the ocean floor, becoming the first to accomplish the trip alone.[134][137]
The parent comment was on submersible construction expertise of which Cameron has little to none. I'd agree that he has piloting expertise (and definitely unique experience ). Again, whats his naval engineering resume like? How many submersibles or submersible subsystems has he designed? The thing he does have is a good team that he probably listens to of which stockton rush did not have.
He's relatable though and has strong opinions which make for more clicks.
What does this even mean? That if someone is popular or capable of communicating complex science in an engaging way, that is some sort of a bad thing? The fact that you included Neil Degrasse Tyson, a literal astrophysicist, as another example of a “victim” makes it sound like anyone that speaks in any way other than a vocal version of a scientific paper beneath you.
>These folks aren't explorers, they're tourists.
James Cameron has been designing and building diving equipment and underwater cameras since 1989, when he filmed The Abyss. He has been involved in, and oversaw, the design of the deepest submersible ever made. He and Bob Ballard have the most experience in the world of diving to the Titanic. He is one of the few people on the planet that has understanding of all aspects related to this accident. Oh, and they did interview Ballard (who’s he) and Cameron. [1]
[1] https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/james-cameron-robert-ballard...
He also, by all accounts, has developed genuine expertise in deep sea diving by having the same attention to detail. This isn't to say he's doing the design all by himself. Rather, he worked with engineers and designers to build subs, and is meticulous on every detail with them, the same process he uses on his films.
His expertise speaks for itself: his sub has dived into the Challenger Deep successfully, because it was solidly & competently engineered.
You clearly didn't even watch the interview...
James Cameron *is* an expert in deep submersible design/construction.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cameron#Activism_and_oth...
You were saying?
Cameron is one of the few that went to the Mariana Trench and back, at more than 2x the depth of the Titanic. Before that he's done lots of work to explore the Titanic to make the movie Titanic.
He's not speaking because it's a celebrity. He's speaking because he's been there and done more than the yahoos from OceanGate