This article was originally published on Parentinfluence.com
Despite throwing vast resources and top minds at projects, companies, including those supported by giants like United Airlines, sometimes face unexpected failures, highlighting that things can still go awry. Costly errors range from multi-billion dollar non-floating submarines to unique guitars wrecked by actors. Such blunders can cost from thousands to billions, with some avoidable by a mere email, while others were never meant to succeed.
1. The Submarine Stuck at the Bottom of the Ocean
Year: 2013
Location: Spain
Company: Navantia
Estimated Damage Value: $2 million*
In 2013, the Spanish government invested over $2.2 billion in the Isaac Peral Submarine, only to find it couldn’t float due to a weight miscalculation. Though the design error was caught before manufacturing, the oversight cost a fortune and became a widespread topic in the news.
Correcting the submarine’s buoyancy led to another oversight: its increased size meant it no longer fit in its designated port. This blunder added to the embarrassment, showing that even after solving one major problem, another unexpectedly arose, complicating the project further.