This is not some mundane detail, Miguel!

[Isgrimnur]

AP via Canadia

A new, Spanish-designed submarine has a weighty problem: The vessel is more than 70 tons too heavy, and officials fear if it goes out to sea, it will not be able to surface.

And a former Spanish official says the problem can be traced to a miscalculation — someone apparently put a decimal point in the wrong place.
...
The Isaac Peral, the first in a new class of diesel-electric submarines, was nearly completed when engineers discovered the problem. A U.S. Navy contractor in Connecticut, Electric Boat, has signed a deal to help the Spanish Defence Ministry find ways to slim down the 2,200-ton submarine.

The agreement with Groton, Conn.-based Electric Boat calls for Spain to pay $14 million over three years for an assessment of the problem with the S-80 submarine program and the scope of the work that would be required to correct it, the Spanish Defence Ministry said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Bardaji, now a senior fellow with the Strategic Studies Group think-tank in Madrid, said officials will review options provided by Electric Boat. But he said the preference has been to extend the length of the submarine’s hull, perhaps by 5 to 6 metres, to increase buoyancy.

Otherwise, the weight of the submarine would have to be reduced, and he said the Spanish Navy would not want to compromise features such as the combat system or an air-independent propulsion system.

[MonkeyFinger]

Now I am morbidly curious to find out what "decimal point in the wrong place" miscalculation adds more than 70 tons to a submarine.

[Drazzil]

The spanish navy has had this problem in the past too.

[hepcat]

At least they didn’t install screen doors on their subs, like the Polish navy did.

[Jaymon]

Now I am morbidly curious to find out what "decimal point in the wrong place" miscalculation adds more than 70 tons to a submarine.

Inquisition transportation and onboarding equipment. Seems nobody expected that.

[em2nought]

Even the Swedes https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)

[Biyobi]

Now I am morbidly curious to find out what "decimal point in the wrong place" miscalculation adds more than 70 tons to a submarine.

Inquisition transportation and onboarding equipment. Seems nobody expected that.

The weight comes from all those comfy chairs.

[McNutt]

"My bad."

[Jeff V]

Math is hard.

[LawBeefaroni]

Now I am morbidly curious to find out what "decimal point in the wrong place" miscalculation adds more than 70 tons to a submarine.

.00070001 tons vs 70,001.00 tons?

[Buatha]

[stessier]

Now I am morbidly curious to find out what "decimal point in the wrong place" miscalculation adds more than 70 tons to a submarine.

They mention that the decimal was moved very early in the calculations. It's probably the density of steel or something like that. Move a decimal there very early and every calculation will be off.