This is about ship construction. By the Spanish folks who have had a hand in this type of work for hundreds of years. Read and Weap.
One of Spain's largest defense splurges may also be one of its most embarrassing. After spending nearly one-third of a $3 billion budget to build four of the world's most advanced submarines, the project's engineers have run into a problem: the submarines are so heavy that they would sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Miscalculations by engineers at Navantia, the construction company contracted to built the S-80 submarine fleet, have produced submarines that are each as much as 100 tonnes (110 US tonnes) too heavy. The excess weight sounds paltry compared to the 2,000-plus tonnes (2,205 US tonnes) that each submarine weighs, but it's more than enough to send the submarines straight to the ocean's floor.
.... and then you have to call for help.
It's a costly mistake on many fronts. The state-of-the-art submarines were meant to be the first entirely Spanish-designed and built. Incompetence is likely going to cost the country at least some of the glory. Electric Boat, a subsidiary of US-based technology firm General Dynamics, has already evaluated the project and could be hired as a consultant to save the job.
One of Spain's largest defense splurges may also be one of its most embarrassing. After spending nearly one-third of a $3 billion budget to build four of the world's most advanced submarines, the project's engineers have run into a problem: the submarines are so heavy that they would sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Miscalculations by engineers at Navantia, the construction company contracted to built the S-80 submarine fleet, have produced submarines that are each as much as 100 tonnes (110 US tonnes) too heavy. The excess weight sounds paltry compared to the 2,000-plus tonnes (2,205 US tonnes) that each submarine weighs, but it's more than enough to send the submarines straight to the ocean's floor.
.... and then you have to call for help.
It's a costly mistake on many fronts. The state-of-the-art submarines were meant to be the first entirely Spanish-designed and built. Incompetence is likely going to cost the country at least some of the glory. Electric Boat, a subsidiary of US-based technology firm General Dynamics, has already evaluated the project and could be hired as a consultant to save the job.
