Spain's New S-80 Class Submarines Sink, But Won't Float

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday May 25, 2013 @04:37AM from the would-you-classify-that-as-a-launch-problem-or-a-design-problem dept.

New submitter home-electro.com writes "In the era of total CAD and CAM, is it even possible to come up with a fundamentally flawed design ? Turns out, yes. This a fascinating engineering SNAFU. Spain's newly built submarine is 100 tons too heavy, which means it is unable to float. 'Unfortunately for the Spainards, Quartz reports that they have already sunk the equivalent of $680 million into the Isaac Peral, and a total of $3 billion into the entire quartet of S-80 class submarines. If Spain hopes to salvage its submarines, it must either find some weight that can be trimmed from the current design or lengthen the ship to accommodate the excess weight, The Local notes. Though the latter option is more feasible, it is expected to cost Spain an extra $9.7 million per meter.'"

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I know... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-25 04:41 · Score: 5, Funny

Some screen doors will help lighten up the load. A lot thinner than regular doors.
1. Re: I know... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-25 04:44 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Whatever floats your boat dude
2. Re:I know... by LifesABeach · 2013-05-25 05:38 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Ever since the sinking of the Armada, spanish ship building has never recovered, fully.
The spanish armada by Anonymous Coward · 2013-05-25 04:53 · Score: 4, Funny

...still sinking after all these years.
At this point by venicebeach · 2013-05-25 04:59 · Score: 5, Funny

they should just consider it a sunk cost.
Re:Where were the checks and balances? by ColdWetDog · 2013-05-25 06:15 · Score: 4, Funny

Global Warming!
As the oceans get warmer, the heat gets transferred to the submarine, making it larger. Larger things are heavier and then poof too heavy. It sinks.
Really easy when you understand the physics.

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