OFFSHORE NIGHTMARE: The Collapse of Texas Tower 4

[@BrickImmortar]

Thanks everyone for your patience in these larger productions, it's truly a motivation! And your support literally keeps this channel afloat... MERCH: www.brickimmortar.com/ PATREON: www.patreon.com/c/BrickImmortar Or just click Join! Your Safety Matters. - Sam

[@AlexWolfLikesPie]

Love long form content, its been what i've mostly consumed lately.

[@Bimanbangladeshflight60]

Can you do the sinking of the Sean Seamour II on May 7 2007?

[@henniekruger6602]

Will wait how long ever it takes for @BrickImmortar vids....the qaulity and depth of research done makes it worth the wait

[@Argumemnon]

I think chapters would be useful for browsing, for such large videos.

[@--enyo--]

@@ArgumemnonYeah, timestamped chapters are really helpful.

[@marahjames9956]

The way my jaw DROPPED when you said that Tower 4's legs were only imbedded into the sea floor 18 feet instead of 65! This was literally a death trap at every step of construction.

[@aircraftcarrierwo-class]

Yeah I had a moment on that too, and was very surprised that apparently these shallow footings never actually moved at all when it collapsed despite their depth. Honestly the towers should probably have been seacraft like the oil rigs Sam mentioned near the start of the video. Would've been far safer and even could pick up anchors and move out of the way of storms if given enough warning.

[@baguette4177]

Wouldn't this create a problem with the high positional accuracy required by the radars? He mentions that even the movement of the structure in the winds and sea became too much to return accurate reading?

[@MommyKhaos]

​@@baguette4177Honestly I think the idea was doomed from the beginning. The military already had problems with using radar on ships, and when they had problems with the accuracy of the radars due to the movement they should've just scrapped it. The Texas Towers are a wonderful example of how the military constantly falls into the sunk-cost fallacy. No one wanted to admit that the project was a waste of money, so they just kept sinking more and more money into the project.

[@lordhoth4443]

Complete madness

[@Jollyman2117]

Wait it gets better, the US Navy had one too. The first time they took it out is nearly sank and they had to tow is back

[@ripwednesdayadams]

I feel so bad for them. I can’t imagine the sheer terror of knowing the tower was going to go down and being ordered to stay on it anyway. Just waiting to collapse into the sea. Those poor men and their families deserved better.

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

Part of training is to follow orders. And military folk cannot, by law, form a union to negotiate standards of work and life conditions. Only the Captain gets to call a Stop Work order, and won't if some of the brass is already mad cause a project is delayed or over budget

[@ZGryphon]

It teaches a useful lesson about the Cold War: that just because the people on its front lines weren't expended at anything like the _rate_ they are in most hotter wars, that doesn't mean they weren't just as expendable to the people in charge.

[@jetblackjoy]

​​​@@loorthedarkelf8353giving orders which law forbids to question should come with the appropriate responsibility for the outcome

[@grayhatjen5924]

​@@ZGryphon The amount of stuff that we don't know, that we'll never know about that occurred during the Cold War I'm sure is staggering. My Dad served in the USAF during the first half of the sixties. When I was little (in the 80s) I knew that my daddy was in the air force and he was a meteorologist. In my head it made sense because he had been stationed in Kansas. (Wizard of Oz, tornadoes, yadda yadda) Couple of years before he passed in '08 he tells me to swing by his house. We're hanging out in his man cave of a basement and he brings up his time in the service. Because something he worked on had been declassified. (They have to notify everyone who is still living who was a part of the classified stuff or something like that.) I spent probably almost 30 years of my life thinking my Dad was watching for tornadoes in Kansas when he served. Pfft. The old man was certainly keeping track of weather. Weather from another freakin continent. I've cobbled together bread crumbs of what he did and where, but I'll never know much. Heck, I don't even know what rank he was. And as much as that stings sometimes, I get why it's important. But when the cemetery he's buried at refused to put a flag at his headstone because he was enlisted during peace time, I almost lost my ish. The Cold War was a crazy, CRAZY time.

[@kamdenbarclay486]

​@loorthedarkelf8353 but there is also the fact we are told as service members to not follow unlawful orders and if you are ordered to stay at your post and die when it isn't a fire fight, you disobey, and do the correct thing. That's what's made the U.S. military so effective. There is structure yes, but there's flex enough to make it work on the fly.

[@MontanaMedic13]

As a USAF Veteran I appreciate the attention to detail and high level of quality you put into this production. I had always been disappointed that it was hard to find a truly high quality documentary on this. The lessons learned and lives lost deserve it to not be forgotten. Thank You.

[@Larry-mk9ry]

I'm surprised no one was found to be at fault. The officer on board asked many times to offload the crew. He was the point man who could see, hear, and feel the platform's status yet he was ignored. Re the real hazard of the Soviets getting aboard and observing or removing the gear, I think that the Navy or Coast Guard could have easily held the line on any Soviet ships approaching the site. Those ships would be in the same weather but much further from port.

[@johnjingleheimersmith9259]

​@@Larry-mk9ry It’s hard to say exactly why they were acquitted without actual transcripts of the hearings. But often, when the real problem is found to be a systemic issue, rather than something you can isolate to the decisions of specific person(s), then it’s reasonable and typical to let such charges be dismissed. Like, if you can reasonably expect that any other person would have potentially made the same decisions due to pre-existing conditions, then it’s hard to argue that anyone did anything wrong or that someone else likely would have done any better in the same position. In this case, they may have pointed to the lack of proper (or unclear) procedures and experience (these were relatively new things, these towers, after all), unforeseen or unaccounted-for variables, or the ancient and eternal cause of countless tragedies: poor communication (insufficient intel, conflicting information, misinterpretations, unaligned expectations, etc). TLDR, I know it can seem wrong or crazy when no one is blamed or punished after big tragedies/losses like this, but sometimes it's a lot more complicated and things aren't exactly black and white once everything is completely examined in context. Things can seem obvious in hindsight that weren't when they actually happened. And blaming individuals when it's really systemic issues that are the root cause can be misleading and counterproductive. It creates a false sense of resolution without addressing the underlying problems, which means similar issues are likely to happen again. Holding individuals accountable for things beyond their control also undermines trust and morale, especially when the focus should be on improving systems, processes, and communication to prevent future tragedies.

[@TomKappeln]

As a former German Navy Spec. Ops. I salute you. I often worked with the USAF and US. Navy in the 80's. To protect the USS IOWA was my job in 1986 (Kiel/Baltic/Germany). Realy loved to work with you guys and miss the times. 🇺🇸🇩🇪🫡

[@gehtdianschasau8372]

​@@noway9880 Right? People just buy it and thank for his service. He is probably a 12year old looking for attention and likes. He should get that in real life.

[@truthseeker2321]

​@Larry-mk9ry They could have abandoned the tower and called an air strike or naval gun fire to destroy it if they were concerned about the Soviets scrounging up any classified material. I highly doubt that if it had been abandoned, the Soviets would risk losing personnel trying to get onto it during a storm.

[@kathrynronnenberg1688]

The longer format doesn't seem long when the story is this gripping. And thank you for allowing enough time during the memorial sequence enough to read all the names of the lost. Quality, as always.

[@scose]

Thank you for making documentaries with no ad reads. Your work will stand the test of time!

[@Ty91681]

I wish more channels would stop with the sponsor reads in their videos. It really cheapens the content.

[@kelevra002b]

Not me watching this video while working on an offshore platform that's almost 40 years old 💀

[@bryanc4054]

F

[@weylinwest9505]

Wouldn't maintenance matter more than age? 🤔

[@KyberGaming47]

oh god, my prayers are with you, stay safe!

[@univrzsal]

Which one?

[@univrzsal]

If im being honest. I'm sure you'd be fine, Modern day electronics and safety almost garrantee it wont collaspe when used. But if it does. Enjoy a pay day if u live lol

[@Unb3arablePain]

As a mechanical engineer I appreciate the insight your channel gives me. I will accept being fired before I accept relaxing safety standards. *YOUR SAFETY MATTERS!*

[@jam-etc]

I worked in food service and got talked down to constantly and eventually fired for being too stingy with safety. I eventually got fired for it by a manager who lied to the owner that I had quit. It was an awkward situation later when I met him while shopping one day, and I had to clarify the reason why his rating dropped after I left. of course, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat

[@CapablePimento]

At least, when fired, you are free and clear of the shit show you will later hear about on the news. It will hit the dude who stamped it square in the face though. By then you’re working for a better firm anyway!

[@loorthedarkelf8353]

DANG RIGHT! Safety coming first means being willing to walk off a job. Whatever a boss can threaten you with, it ain't worth the lives of whomever gets squished by the collapse of a substandard build. The laws of physics do not give a single crap about the bottom line.

[@miguellogistics984]

So no "My GOD Thiokol, when do you want me to launch? In April?" for you?

[@tire26]

I'm an electrician and though these documentaries don't impact me directly much, I'm very much more aware of big picture structural and safety issues at job sites, so it's helpful. Thanks BI.

[@realArisawaHeavyInd]

Glad you're opting for the long-form stuff. The amount of time I have to spend looking for videos longer than 20 min is exasperating. Not everyone is satisfied with twitter-sized pieces of surface-level information on fascinating and important topics like this. Really great that some channels, like your own, are still committed to quality over quantity.

[@jasongarcia2140]

We need this kind of media. This feels much more human than quick clips.

[@NoOneYaKnow666]

Could not agree with this sentiment more.

[@DuckDodgers69]

That's how B I, rolls

[@imcrazyforwar]

There is streaming service you can get that it's literally just creators of documentaries that they have long-form videos. I can't remember the name of it now off the top my head, but you got channels that real engineering and mustard just to give you an idea of some of the education/documentary channels that are on it. From what I gather it's not very expensive either. * edit, I found the name of it, it's called nebula

[@kevinvilmont6061]

@@jasongarcia2140good use of media! You ✍️

[@Random_hero47]

Great video. I’m a ironworker and I know quite a bit about just about every connection there is in the steel industry. It’s mind blowing they would use such a large tolerance in a connection like that and I believe it definitely contributed to its ultimate demise. I build tower cranes a lot and those connections are pins and they are extremely tight. Having a 1/16-1/8th inch of play is huge and will definitely erode the connection due to all that movement.

[@poigmhahon]

The contractor was from Boise Idaho? I worked at sea for the first half of my life, worked in shipyards from a young age.I've been to Georges Banks at the edge of a hurricane. Relocated from Alaska to Idaho for my wife's health. I kind of know the history of Idaho and it doesn't include a great maritime engineering background. There's something off with that fact.....18' footers? Idaho in the late 1950's?

[@dylansouza1780]

My great-grandfather was Captain Sixto Mangual of the USNS New Bedford, who responded to this incident. Thank you for making a video on this not so well known event in history.

[@oldirtybasser261]

My Grandfather was the CO: Captain Gordon Phelan. Sixto and Gordon were buddies. I was always told Sixto made every effort to help the poor guys stuck on TT4.

[@047Kenny]

@@oldirtybasser261small world wtf

[@ItsJustLisa]

I can’t imagine how your great grandfather and @oldirtybasser261 ‘s grandfather felt knowing that there was so little they could do for the men who were lost.

[@GRMNCVS]

Wow this is cool

[@T.McGarry]

The old Lifesaving Service motto : You have to go out, but you don't have to come back. That had to be a rough trip for the crew of the New Bedford.

[@jamesthemongrel]

I'm from Felixstowe, UK and I've grown up with the old WW2 Roughs Tower in view, you may know it as the micronation Sealand. This view has given me somewhat of an obsession of offshore military platforms but I only accidentally read about the Texas Towers relatively recently on Wikipedia having stumbled there from another offshore platform page. Salute to the men, whether military or not, who died on TT4. And a tip of the hat to you for having one of the finest channels on the Tube!

[@neptunenavalmods4420]

Interesting how several of the WWII British towers like Knock John & Red Sands are still standing after more than 80 years, while Texas Tower 4 collapsed when it was practically new. Not a US Military success. I know Tower 4 was in a more challenging environment, but still. I saw a UK blog where someone recently climbed Knock John, it's in pretty good condition to this day.

[@melchizedek077]

@@neptunenavalmods4420 I thought that after sealand was declared a nation that the british navy started demolishing the other WWII towers that were abandoned to prevent further shenanigans.

[@MeeesterBond17]

When I was doing my Mechanical Engineering degree, I seem to remember one of my professors telling us there were two industries where major design screw-ups would almost certainly kill people - aeronautical and maritime. I suppose as this incident involved air force personnel on an offshore platform, it was kind of both.

[@alexmartin3143]

Humans weren’t meant to fly or swim. We’re at the mercy of our technology.

[@Inamorata.367]

My father in law served on TT 3. I never knew such a thing existed.His true life recollection of what he and all the others went thru was horrendous. He served our country proudly and was humble Thank you to ALL who have served and are serving.

[@orenalbertmeisel3127]

42:26 several requests to evacuate, but all were denied? That's crazy

[@bobskywalker2707]

@@airplanemaniacgaming7877more like “casual disregard of the lives of servicemen”. This is something that still hasn’t really changed.

[@cleveland2286]

@@airplanemaniacgaming7877 Hatred of communism (justifiably so) has quite literally nothing to do with the refusal to evacute the platform. You saw the part about "spies" and said "ah, must just be those Americans hating communism again; thats why they let them all die!" instead of, yknow, not wanting your cutting edge radar tech to fall into enemy hands? Makes sense (it doesn't).

[@ILikePi31415926535]

2 Things can be true It can be both because of the red scare AND the lack of care for people

[@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking]

Like a "spy trawler" could even survive a storm like that, let alone get close and board ...

[@WiLDFiRe_DE]

and the CO being acquitted. shameless

[@B4rberblacksheep]

I just want to say, one tiny detail I really appreciate is the constant onscreen conversions whenever a value is mentioned.

[@stevenmacdonald9619]

Please release your videos in any format of your choice. They are always fascinating, and those truly interested will always respect the way in which these documentaries are presented.

[@zbcc12]

Am I the only one who plays @BrickImmortar videos at night as background noise? The voice and cadence are so relaxing to me. P.S. I love the videos while awake, too.

[@kaytay5197]

No! I just introduced my teen to this channel to help them sleep!

[@MuffinManUSN]

I checked the algorithm. You are the only one that does. Authorities have been alerted. Resistance is futile

[@osculant]

Only ones I’ve already watched

[@harryshuman9637]

@@kaytay5197 How about you take their phones away so they don't watch internet when going to bed? Be a parent ffs.

[@weaviejeebies]

Knitting is my side hustle, and I re-listen while I knit on weekends. There's always something more to glean. I've lived in the Rocky Mountains my whole life, don't know boats from a hole in the ground, and frankly deep water scares me on a visceral level. I've learned so much from Brick Immortar, not just about maritime safety history, but also about critical thinking and what questions I can ask people about machinery and structures, how to spot negligent managerial behavior in a job setting, the kinds of warning signs that stressed industrial equipment might give off...overall I feel like a much stronger safety thinker and advocate. I'll be starting a new job at a large scale bakery in a few weeks, and you can bet I'll keep "our safety matters" in mind.

[@EastWindCommunity1973]

My grandfather served on Texas Tower 4. After watching this video I decided to go check out some of the stuff he left behind for the family. In an old, dusty box I found a bunch of his military service stuff and I found the Texas Tower 4 badge! Your choice of replacement was very close. Okay, now you can stop reading silly comments.

[@SixSays]

do you have pic of it

[@michellenowicki8181]

Very cool!

[@stormcloudtheory]

You should try to contact Brick Immortar and send him a picture.

[@UlshaRS]

Your connection is why these videos are so important. Little snapshots of history saved in a family's memories finding a way to connect.

[@alexdhall]

It's not a silly comment. I'm now honestly curious what the Texas Tower 4 badge/patch looks like....

[@nathanspreitzer6738]

They new that tower was going to collapse for weeks if not months before it did, and the men on board knew it WAS coming down days before it did

[@magicjoybox]

And you just know that if they had escaped, they would have had their lives destroyed by degenerates who spent over 99% of their service in quiet, heated offices on the land.

[@gregorahler]

The video quality isn't represented in the subscriber count, this channel needs to be over 5mil.

[@jonyemm]

Just looked and I'm really surprised he's only at 320k

[@GreenClawForestry]

320,000 souls is nothing to sneeze at!

[@scumbaggo]

damn right! id be happy to have 10 people listen to what i have to say, pet alone 300k

[@JJsOriginals]

Saying this as a long time subscriber and utmost respect, this is a niche format of a niche topic. Nice statment though, just unfounded.

[@brendanmeadors3099]

KZbins best kept secret

[@Paaka700]

Wow. The idea of connecting those braces with pins- solid in theory (reduces bending fatigue at the joints since weld seams will unnecessarily resist that force as well) But putting it into practice with so much play, sure to oval the holes and destroy any surface treatment and expose the material to salt water, ultimately dooming the connection, is nuts. This is a great example of an engineering advantage being overcome by practical disadvantages. You see it all the time in the field, but usually from inexperienced engineers who are disconnected from their fabricators, machinists, and operators. Wild to see it make it to the actual platforms. I'd put money on that decision being the ultimate root cause of the collapse.

[@daminox]

"ultimately dooming the connection, is nuts" I see what you did there. ("is nuts".... nuts and bolts connections instead of welds...)

[@ryurc3033]

Every engineer should have to work in their chosen field...for at least a year. Just so they understand the practical disadvantage first hand. Whoever designed belt tensioner placement on a GMC terrain/Arcadia/enclave....or really anything on that pos should have to work on them every day.

[@wilsjane]

At that depth, the tripod legs should have been double the diameter and much heavier bracing continuously welded, all in the drydock. Due to the weight, it should have been floated out in 3 sections to correctly assemble on site with at least 6 feet overlap at the joints. Once the platform loaded the structure, the legs should have been filled with concrete. Right from the start of the video, it was obvious to me that the whole thing was an accident waiting to happen. The joints were ridiculous and as far as I could see no cathodic protection was included. The platform design was also wrong, with no aerodynamic design, particularly on the underside, which should have been funnel shaped. I would also have considered a circular design, for better airflow during storms.

[@jenniferolson5917]

@@ryurc3033 I couldn't agree more. As a 20 year builder I can't count how many times I have cursed engineers and architects under my breath at job sites, whom don't understand real world applicability. Now that I am in engineering school it is wild to me that it is so much more hands off than I even realized- people can get a degree and oversee huge systems that affect many lives without ever leaving a desk and getting their hands dirty.

[@bryanb6931]

Given the conditions, Temperature change, corrosive sea water, wind and waves it's a horrible idea.

[@ZackBadCompany1234]

1/8th play in the pin joints is actually a ridiculous amount of free play. Most machined holes are measured in the thousanth of an inch. A tenth of an inch is very amature and worse than the spec or a lawn mower... the thought that human lives would be subject to staying on a raised platform that poorly built is negligence at best

[@AtomSmasher-l4b]

Even steam locomotives from 130+ years ago used tapered holes and pins to take up slack. I agree, that's a crazy amount of slop.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

That's the kind of play I'd expect in a backhoe or excavator boom maybe. Not something orders of magnitude larger and more critical to life. Insane.

[@KR-hg8be]

​@@goosenotmaverick1156a worn out backhoe, the pins are precision fit when new

[@SnakebitSTI]

Degrading specs to match the manufacture instead of improving the manufacture to match the specs is always a bad sign.

[@spyder2383]

If I heard correctly, the above water bracing was welded with the loose tolerance pins used lower, below water line. This would introduce a lever, fulcrum effect down by the footings, ultimately leading to failure.

[@musicbones1]

I wish I could have shown this report to my late father, who served on one of the Texas towers (I believe Tower 2) as a freshly commissioned second lieutenant. He would have been fascinated. I never heard a lot of stories about his time stationed out in the Atlantic, which may have been for only a few months. He spent most of his short Air Force career on the West Coast. But there was one memorable tale, about some of the men getting ready to go on shore leave. They would stand in front of the radar emitters for a few minutes, believing this would make them temporarily sterile and unable to to get their girlfriends pregnant. Yikes!

[@truthseeker2321]

They more than likely got bone cancer instead from the neutron radiation, depending upon how long they stood in front of it.

[@DrPizzle]

> They would stand in front of the radar emitters for a few minutes, believing this would make them temporarily sterile and unable to to get their girlfriends pregnant. oh wow

[@spacewolfjr]

​@@truthseeker2321I don't think it would be neutron radiation (ionizing radiation), radar uses radio and microwaves which are towards the other end of the electromagnetic spectrum.

[@RowanHawkins]

​​@@spacewolfjrradio doesnt need to be ionizing at the power and frequency they needed to be running. A microwave oven is similar frequency and about 1/10 the power and it cooks your food just fine. That was completely understood in the 60's with lots of lockouts for when antennas on ships' masts needed servicing.

[@bryanb6931]

@@RowanHawkins I get where Spacewolf is going, the statement would imply radioactive or ionizing radiation rather than EMF.

[@wokewokerman5280]

...Considered shallow water by offshore oil and gas standards today, but at that time, a very significant challenge.....

[@peterhardyburrell]

I’m still not entirely sure if some of the shots were subtly shaking or if it was just my mind playing tricks, but if they were shaking, bravo. Really lent to the sense of unease

[@luxborealis]

They were shaking, but it was created by shaking the "camera" slightly. Very clever.

[@igowhereiplease6915]

Good detailed research. As an engineer, disaster videos are interesting from the perspective of causation. Not only the literal causation. But what caused or allowed those flaws to be introduced and at what point in the structure’s lifecycle they were introduced and when they could have been caught and how. The engineering profession must be ever vigilant and forthright in the conduct of our duties in order to safeguard the lives of our fellow mankind.

[@cortanathelawless1848]

It's another case of everything is political as nothing just happens. It always goes through and is influenced by power structures. Structures that too need to be examined and resigned for safety,productiveness and other factors.

[@sambrose1]

I worked for a number of years on a three legged jack up rig built by Bethlehem and she was a solid rig. Hurricane Ike pushed her about 100 yards away from the platform we were at and we had to dry dock her for repairs. I think it would have taken a lesser built rig. I'm glad they learned from earlier events. I wish that crew could have disembarked.

[@SnakebitSTI]

That's the thing, they absolutely could have evacuated. They were not allowed to evacuate.

[@benjaminlewis671]

Somehow you made this one feel closer to home than even the El Faro. I have experience fishing radar towers, I have experience in underwater engineering and design. And for several decades, i supported Moran Towing repairs in Jacksonville Florida. Moran worked with the El Faro for decades as well. Way to go on this excellent episode. My the memory live on.

[@ScottishLeo]

I'm not military or an engineer but your detailed pics & descriptions have taught me so much, thank you!

[@erikziak1249]

I commend the addition of metric units on screen for a moment each time the narrator uses unfamiliar units to me, located in Central Europe. This is very much appreciated! If not for anything else, just this deserves a like.

[@kandycubbi3422]

As an American I will measure in dicks before I use the metric system! Take your logical 10 increment with you and pound Stone! See what I did there?

[@Sefert79]

Savages that still using body parts to measure things.

[@GhostToes1]

As a grown ass man I ALWAYS get excited to see a new Brick episode.

[@Crippledbunny]

Ive been checking for 2 weeks to see if one dropped yet.

[@Spooky_Platypus]

As a grown ass woman, SAME😊

[@WouldntULikeToKnow.]

A grown ass man is allowed to be excited about things, friend 😂

[@glenruginski4812]

I agree 👍

[@glenruginski4812]

such awesome stories/ videos so interesting

[@tbonesofficial]

Thanks! Love these long form videos. The time and effort you, and your team, put into them shows how much you care to honor lives lost in these tragedies. Please keep up the videos.

[@harleyharlita]

Thank you so much for the no-ad-read, long form content. These stories and your presentation are exemplary.

[@Liz-cmc313]

TT4 was an accident waiting to happen. Your videos are beyond top notch.

[@PrototypeBMX]

yup long asf skinny legs under water 🥲

[@elijahcasey4389]

I love listening to these long form videos while I work. Absolutely fascinating!

[@MolonyProductions]

I think the Swiss cheese model is applicable here, there were many chances to stop the ultimate loss of life but none were taken.

[@markcalhoun8219]

the swiss cheese model here like like a stack of onion rings

[@bisiilki]

​@markcalhoun8219 the pin connections were the biggest hole in the whole thing

[@theodorkuvshinikov5397]

I'm Amazed on just how much work you put Into these videos, and yet, even though you do not upload as often as most channels do. You always keep us coming back to watch more of your videos. It is a shame that Most of the time the KZbin algorithm doesn't benefit channels like yours where that you guys put so much effort into making good quality videos only for it to be buried underneath Lower quality videos.

[@ivank.17]

Short attention spans of tiktok and yt short users make it hard for that demographic to watch this video past the intro

[@taylormcdaniel603]

Yeah, way too many people that are hooked on instant gratification 30 second brainrot shorts from garbage creators. These people genuinely have the attention span of a gnat.

[@wes11bravo]

Can't imagine how rough this duty was. While the isolation holds psychological challenges difficult for many to endure, when the physical dangers are factored in? Geez. It's astounding they lasted as long as they did. An Airman operating and maintaining the radars might get stationed here or possibly posted to a NIKE site outside a large US city, an off post apartment, a girlfriend, a vibrant social life. Amazing how disparate various duty stations were.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

I think I'd find this relaxing. A kitchen, a TV, I'm assuming I'll have half a library with me. Not forever but I think I'd enjoy the structure of it all. You know exactly what you're supposed to be doing at every minute of every day. Seeing it as a break to get away from society, yeah, I can dig that.

[@wes11bravo]

​@@MostlyPennyCat- well, yes Penny - you and I are cut from the same bolt of cloth. If the Texas Towers were a few more orders of magnitude more safe, it would be a place I'd sign on to tomorrow! I always thought that a USCG LORAN Station would be pretty awesome duty for a guy like me who now values his solitude.

[@KnightsWithoutATable]

@@MostlyPennyCat The tower was just a little bit far away from the shore to get TV signals when the weather was bad. Remember, TV channels were using VHF at the time and you had a a bunch of long range radars going off on the platform. You could probably get radio: short wave, long wave, AM and FM though.

[@JoshuaTootell]

When I was still active in the USCG we still had Loran stations. Station Attu was isolated duty with only about a dozen people being stationed there. It was a one year assignment and half way through you took a vacation.

[@MostlyPennyCat]

@@wes11bravo I'll while away the hours practising my bread baking. And I've cracked New York Pizza too, even though it takes 5 days for the dough to proof well. As long as I can bring all my bakery equipment

[@katrinapaton5283]

Almost one and a half hours is quite a commitment but it's worth it for this level of detail.

[@calebcohen5359]

Texas Tower is now a well known fishing spot in the area for Tuna and the like. I've been to the area of the wreck several times. A little spooky to know the backstory now...

[@alexkitner5356]

The site is still well remembered by many of us that fish the area and nearby Hudson Canyon. I can't imagine being out there in the winter in a storm or what it could have been like to be amongst the falling steel and rough water. I think to many theres some context to the location as a fishing spot but it always hits me when seeing the wreckage on the sounder that its the resting place of 54 souls. I know that its the structure that holds the marine life but some part of me also feels like the many tuna and other fish we catch are a legacy gift of those lost lives continuing to provide for us beyond the many years.

[@neptunenavalmods4420]

I wonder if anyone has dived it recently. It used to be a relatively shallow dive but one of the legs sank through the deck about 15 years ago - now it's very deep and dangerous. There was a lot of interesting equipment down there; one diver took pictures of the mess hall and commander's cabin.

[@larrywest42]

The design specification of 35' waves was startling. Waves bigger than that were known to occur in the North Atlantic, and I suspect the reason they didn't specify 50' or more was solely because that would've quadrupled the cost, at least. And I'd bet at least one decision-maker (clearly not held responsible) simply wanted this project to go forward, for whatever reason, so safety margins were eliminated.

[@sarahterry2140]

As someone who grew up on the North Atlantic coast and still spends considerable time on the Outer Cape, this was the factor that caught my attention right away. I can’t imagine the oceanographers submitted anything but the correct data, so it seems the design specifications were set ignoring the higher (but not extremely infrequent) wave heights.

[@marykuhner4209]

@@sarahterry2140 I was particularly startled by the repeated mention that the tower was *experiencing* 30-35 foot waves. Every single winter, multiple times per winter. The specs were so obviously wrong that a landlubber like me could see it, because if you get 35' waves several times a year, obviously you will get a bigger one sooner or later--probably sooner.

[@Crabby303]

A shocking story, incredible nobody was held accountable in the end. Great work on this, well done.

[@milanmaletic3997]

Who is to be held accountable? The platform was designed to survive a storm or two, get repaired, and then survive more storms. Apparently the year was stormier than was thought possible when requirements were drawn up, and now there just wasn't enough time to do repairs between the storms. If you're a believer, you can blame God, basically.

[@SnakebitSTI]

People are rarely held accountable for disasters like this.

[@abasudoh7459]

My first new Brick Immortar episode

[@baguette4177]

hahahah, been here since blackthorn

[@nilslindstrom8087]

Probably not your last 😊

[@JoeJaJoeJoe]

one of us one of us your safety matters

[@Firefox991gaming]

One of us 😂

[@StephenCole1916]

Welcome to the channel! Check out his other videos, all are great! One of us! lol

[@Jcozz]

Yup the second I saw that above water bracing I instantly thought of the increased surface area exposed to large breaking seas. How can it be that a 63 year old tree climber with zero engineering training can intuitively know a bad idea when he sees it, yet those in charge were oblivious. Fantastic presentation thanks for your great work

[@jenniferolson5917]

wish i could like this twice

[@darylb5564]

It’s not uncommon for people to become too educated to see the obvious

[@longden57]

These videos are absolutely wonderful! They are everything I used to wish TV documentaries were, back before KZbin. None of the unnecessary drama and countless inaccuracies from sloppy research; just incredibly well researched, factual, and very detailed information...I can't get enough! Keep up the genuinely awesome work, we appreciate it 🙏 Best wishes, Jason.

[@MatthewKleczewski]

Just was watching an old History Channel documentary on this that I had digitized off VHS. This is much better!

[@rollertoaster812]

As is usual, the care and dedication is self evident in the quality of the content delivered by Sam and everyone involved with Brick Immortar. While there are too many channels on YT pumping out farm-grade cow manure on a daily basis, I am always happy to watch even an hour and a half long presentation from this channel, knowing it is insightful, inspired, informative, and well-researched beyond compare. Thank you for your hard work!

[@wes11bravo]

Hmm, interesting. TT4s support ship, USNS New Bedford AKL-17 was not only the sister ship of the famous USS Pueblo, it was the ship used in the classic Jack Lemmon/Henry Fonda/James Cagney film Mister Roberts. It remained in service until 1994 and still serves as a long line tuna fishing vessel!

[@kevinmcdowell2679]

Cool. Havent seen that since I was a kid.

[@deborahdarling1799]

Thank you for this production. As a parent of a service member it exasperates me for the unnecessary loss of life. And it also makes me humble before the bravery of those on these platforms. May our leaders forever be aware that our soldiers are precious cargo. RIP. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@scallopohare9431]

I never heard of this. It was truly awful. However, there was a lot of spitballing in the early years of the Cold War. Nobody really knew what they were doing. I grew up in Maryland, and on our way back home from Ocean City, MD, we stopped at a little roadside picnic area. It was next to a cornfield, which was fenced off. Right there in the cornfield was a missile. There was no attempt to disguise it. Unthinkable now! BTW, I am a USAF veteran, 1976-80.

[@woodpeppers]

Your long form videos are much appreciated, they pass the night shift well and I learn something

[@The-Sea-Dragon-1977]

Thank you. For what it's worth I adore the long form format. Keep up the good work.

[@tin2001]

Same. I love a good, long, in depth video on something interesting. Put it up on the big TV and get some popcorn, or just let it run on your desk at work while you do something that doesn't take much concentration... Today for me, it's the latter, while I sort through invoices due to be paid.

[@oli24yt]

Agreed, I am happy to wait for work of this length, depth and painstaking quality.

[@xanderunderwoods3363]

The missing man formation at the end was beautiful

[@josieroses]

1:20 a KZbinr acknowledging their sources?! Love to see it

[@bstaff812]

Facts

[@TRS-Tech]

Very well researched, written and produced. Deepest respect to all those lost in the war with no fighting.

[@Raptor747]

It's incredible just how many flaws and mistakes and how much negligence there was in this. After doing it right twice, they decide to switch it up and do it the wrong way, then it gets damaged, then they erect the structure despite knowing it's seriously damaged on the basis that they'll do a patch job later because it would mean a delay (never mind that putting a platform at sea that's got a compromised structure is a much worse problem than a months-long delay), then they notice even more damage but do nothing in response. Then they notice that they embedded the structure only a fraction as deep as the others, and again do nothing.

[@darkwhispernyx1282]

RIP to all of the souls lost. 💔🙏

[@Don_cheedle]

Oceanic disasters are terrifying enough with all the nice, fancy rescue equipment we have in 2024. I couldn’t imagine an accident 63 miles from land in 1960

[@jenniferolson5917]

immersion/ survival suits existed since the 30s and its pretty mind baffling to me that the towers were not equipped with them, as well as impact proof, buoyant, water tight emergency capsules capable of holding ALL crew members, from the start

[@KawaiiEvoMii]

The thought of being on the platform in the cold and dark conditions already, and for the ground beneath you to literally collapse and throw you into the cold, dark sea. It terrifies me, this was so scary to think about.

[@RowanHawkins]

The ground did not collapse, The platform was built with too much flex and loose tolerance. Water has much more mass and in storms, water moves more than just the waves at the surface. Add to that what is essentially 3 off center vibration motors on the top of a long stick... twice as long as either other platform...

[@aussietaipan8700]

I never heard of this tragedy before, thank you for presenting this and putting in so much detail and effort. RIP to the lost souls of the 3 towers.

[@thefez-cat]

TT4's doomed design and the callous decision to refuse permission to abandon it was symptomatic of the Cold War.

[@tiagoangelo3828]

Thank you for the subtitles, if great content with no ads wasn't a high bar already!

[@Bitterrootbackroads]

I reject so many videos because of blasting loud background music & sound effects. This was a pleasure! New subscriber.

[@4dogsgaming]

I did a mixed gas dive on TT #4 back in the late 90's. Laying on its side, still remember swimming thru the main building, swimming around it's massive legs. I remember some burlap hanging off portions of it.

[@rohw0016]

This is great quality content. This is what KZbin was made for, in my humble opinion.

[@SpaceGhostMars94]

The calm voice and chill background ambience made this perfect to fall asleep listening to. Thanks!

[@honglouis]

I just finished watching your entire catalogue of videos uploaded over the past three years. I was wondering why KZbin placed your thumbnail over the prime location for at least 5 or more times. By the 5th time your thumbnail showed up, it dawned on me your videos had to be fantastic, because the algorithm rare pushes a video from a creator I've never watched that aggressively. It was indeed masterpiece after masterpiece. Thanks! Here's to funding more of your deep dives!

[@wesj1064]

"Honey not now please, BrickImmortar just dropped!" Love these videos. The detail and technical aspects are a notch above. Thank you!

[@mphillips01ify]

Your videos are an excellent example of how videos should be created. In-depth, thorough research leading to factual narratives, detailed graphics that supplement with information rather than just being there to fill space are part of what keeps me coming back to your channel. The number of views is lower than one would expect for professional quality story-telling. Thank you for your efforts.

[@DrMemory667]

Thanks! Amazing detail!

[@cooperfontenot23]

Watching this on an Offshore Supply Vessel that I work on in the Gulf Of Mexico. It’s always cool (and sad) to see representation of our industry to a larger audience on KZbin.

[@itsnotme3882]

My friends and I have fished the wreckage of Tower 4. We have caught cod and pollock in the spring and tuna in the late summer and fall.

[@yougotfelted8297]

These videos are without a doubt some of if not the best examination of sea craft/ structure incidents on any platform. Thank you for the attention to detail, background, and appending safety recommendations.

[@jamesjacola351]

I've known about the Texas Towers. Your coverage of this tragedy is extensive. I appreciate the hard work. Also, the missing man formation of F-15 Eagles hit me hard.

[@bicivelo]

Your videos are better than going to the movies. Here’s my share of a small soda at the theaters! Being from MA I find this video especially interesting. Thanks!

[@catmomchantel]

Just happened upon this channel for the very first time and had to subscribe immediately! I absolutely love the inclusion of the 3D renders in this video. Not only do they contribute to the atmosphere of the video but they are an amazing way to visualise our setpieces. Amazing!

[@mbvoelker8448]

If you're new to the channel you NEED to watch the duck boat playlist.

[@hilestele5585]

@@mbvoelker8448 Agreed, the duck boats are my favorites.

[@doobat708]

Stunning production, as ever. Honestly, and I think I may have commented this before, I'll show up regardless of how often or regular you release a video. Quality over quantity, every time.

[@sebpeters123]

Thanks!

[@kevinshepard7796]

I just have to say, video content aside, BI is in the top 1% of youtube channels easily. Just.. perfect. Happy to contribute to your channel.

[@evilpeep876]

"Old Shakey" well that inspires confidence.

[@Jasper3346]

Especially considering that it wasn't even old, it didn't even make it 6 years.

[@viesturssilins858]

Wonderfully done! The extra mile thet you go with citing sources, finding period material for ilustrations, actuall documents, and even making a 3d model, is amaizing!

[@randomchannel-px6ho]

I don't why I have such an obsession with in depth analysis of obscure oil industry accidents but I do. Thank you for your quality research!

[@benjaminjaskoski1334]

This was by far the most interesting video you have released, and that's saying something because you have given us some real gems before this one. Well done!

[@mbvoelker8448]

I love your detailed, long-form content. There are other good channels doing short-form summaries well and I love having your more expanded explanations available. That said, I particularly enjoyed this because it's an event I've never heard of before from any source. Well Done!

[@JadeLeahPilling01]

Dear BrickImmortar, this is the best video you have produced so far... and this is coming from someone who first found your channel through the El Faro videos! Please keep up the good work

[@johntaylorson7769]

Thanks

[@MaddieB92]

This made my weekend! Can’t wait.

[@MuffinManUSN]

Perun is a great Sunday drop every week without fail too

[@auntbarbara5576]

Thank you Sam. Awesome content as always. Your research, accuracy, dedication and amazing skill to communicate it all truly shines. This channel is an internet treasure.

[@summersys]

New Brick Immortar Video = good day. I wish there were more channels like this one that did detailed in-depth deep dives into accidents and disasters. Learning about semi-niche topics is one of my favorite things

[@felipecardoza9967]

I have never seen a more thoroughly researched video with equally clear narration. Fantastic.

[@AgentAsteriski]

Big props to the 3D modeler for going above and beyond decorating those sets. It adds a lot to the atmosphere.

[@the151muckle]

I am deathly afraid of the open ocean. I struggle to get onto a ferry or tour boat in the bay here in SF. I love these videos so much. That shows how good this team is at creating something engaging.

[@AluraCorvin]

Thank you Sam for another wonderful video, you do such a good job respecting the people involved.

[@glen6258]

Thank you for putting together these masterpieces. I can only imagine the time consumed by research alone.

[@mcrunnin1737]

1:18:20 so glad to see that the military has continued to have a long held tradition of putting their people in danger and not holding those responsible for their demise accountable. I’m surprised they didn’t try to posthumously charge the CO of TT4 with negligence. Great video as always

[@neptunenavalmods4420]

I agree. I stumbled on a photo the Navy took of a b0dy from Tower 4. Totally uncensored. No idea why that picture was published. IMHO, with a little common sense from his higher ups, he would have been alive and well.....telling stories to his grandkids today.

[@jeremymorse9024]

One of the best most high quality content creators on KZbin. Please don’t ever stop what you’re doing man.

[@GARRETT_GARAGE]

Time to watch this one 12 times while we wait for the next video!

[@J-C8573]

Masterpiece documentary 👏