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Experts raised safety concerns about OceanGate years before its Titanic sub vanished

OceanGate uses its Titan vessel to take tourists deep below sea level to visit the Titanic shipwreck. It disappeared in the North Atlantic during one such trip on Sunday. AP hide caption

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AP

National

Experts raised safety concerns about OceanGate years before its Titanic sub vanished

Experts from within and outside OceanGate worried about the safety and development of the Titan as far back as 2018, years before its inaugural dive. One tells NPR its disappearance isn't a surprise.

Experts raised safety concerns about OceanGate years before its Titanic sub vanished

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A former Navy nuclear engineer and his wife have been arrested on espionage charges

The Virginia-class attack submarine USS California (SSN 781) underway during sea trials in Atlantic Ocean on June 30, 2011. Stocktrek Images/Getty Images/Stocktrek Images hide caption

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Stocktrek Images/Getty Images/Stocktrek Images

National Security

A former Navy nuclear engineer and his wife have been arrested on espionage charges

The Department of Justice says Jonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana Toebbe, allegedly sought to sell sensitive military secrets about submarines to a foreign entity.

What Is An 'Internal Wave'? It Might Explain The Loss Of An Indonesian Submarine

An image taken by NASA's Aqua satellite as it passes over Indonesia, captures evidence of an internal wave in the same general area where the KRI Nanggala submarine disappeared earlier this month. Jeff Schmaltz/, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC hide caption

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Jeff Schmaltz/, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC

Science

What Is An 'Internal Wave'? It Might Explain The Loss Of An Indonesian Submarine

No cause has been established for the sinking earlier this month of the KRI Nanggala with 53 people aboard, but officials have suggested that it may have been due to an undersea wave.

Indonesian Navy Loses Contact With Submarine; 53 Aboard

Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala-402 is shown during preparation for an anniversary celebration of the Indonesian military in 2014 in Surabaya in East Java province. Alex Widojo/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Widojo/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Asia

Indonesian Navy Loses Contact With Submarine; 53 Aboard

The aging KRI Nanggala-402 was reportedly on a torpedo-training mission in waters north of Bali when it failed to report results of the exercise.

Submarine Hobbyists Help Researchers On Montana's Flathead Lake

Hank Pronk's two-man submarine, the Nekton Gamma, leaves the dock. Aaron Bolton/Montana Public Radio hide caption

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Aaron Bolton/Montana Public Radio

Environment

Submarine Hobbyists Help Researchers On Montana's Flathead Lake

Montana Public Radio

Submarine hobbyists are helping scientists in Montana do environmental research on the state's lakes. Researchers couldn't otherwise afford to rent subs, and it gives the hobbyists a sense of purpose.

Submarine Hobbyists Help Researchers On Montana's Flathead Lake

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Now A Museum, This USSR Submarine Base Was Built To Endure U.S. Nukes — And Retaliate

Hazmat suits hang next to the canal that leads from Balaklava Bay to the heart of the underground base. Lucian Kim/NPR hide caption

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Lucian Kim/NPR

World

Now A Museum, This USSR Submarine Base Was Built To Endure U.S. Nukes — And Retaliate

A once-secret underground naval base in Crimea designed to preserve Soviet submarines in case of a nuclear attack is now a museum with an anti-American message.

Now A Museum, This USSR Submarine Base Was Built To Endure U.S. Nukes — And Retaliate

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Search For Missing Argentine Sub No Longer A Rescue Mission, Navy Says

Argentine navy spokesman Enrique Balbi announced Thursday that searchers no longer expect to find survivors of the missing ARA San Juan submarine. Esteban Felix/AP hide caption

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Esteban Felix/AP

The Two-Way

Search For Missing Argentine Sub No Longer A Rescue Mission, Navy Says

"More than double the number of days have passed where it would have been possible to rescue the crew," a navy spokesman said. "We will continue the search ... there will not be people saved."

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