The Titan submarine that lost all its communication a few days ago is now said to have been destroyed. A multinational search was conducted and reported that the pieces of the vessel were found near the Titanic shipwreck. The five onboard passengers are now believed to be dead.
As the oxygen level was near depletion, the 5 passengers’ chances of survival were thin. The rescue operation still was at full pace. But sadly, on Friday several pieces of the submarine were located near the sunken Titanic ship. It seems that the submarine imploded somehow which means none of the passengers survived.
What is an implosion?
An implosion is the opposite of an explosion, a phenomenon that occurs when an object collapses in on itself. It is said that a catastrophic implosion occurred that destroyed the OceanGate Titan submarine. The implosion must have happened at an incredible force and speed given the immense water pressure at the ocean floor.
The remains of the legendary Titanic are at rest on the seabed in North Atlantic at a depth of about 4,000 meters (13,000 feet).
At sea level, the atmosphere has a pressure of 14.7 psi or 100 kilopascals. That pressure increases as you dive deeper beneath. During the Titanic disaster, the water pressure is about 6,000 psi (more than 41,000 kilopascals).
Even the smallest structural defect might have devastating repercussions under this kind of stress. The people within the pressurized chamber would die almost instantly.
What happened to the OceanGate Titan Submarine?
The craft sank early on Sunday, and its backup vessel lost communication with it an hour and a half later, according to the US Coast Guard.
The vessel was reported missing by Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is located around 700 kilometers (435 miles) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Upon its disappearance, a five-day international search was launched.
The precise moment and location of the implosion are unknown. However, a senior US military source claimed on Thursday that the Titan’s catastrophic implosion was probably the “anomaly” that a US naval acoustic system discovered on Sunday.
What caused the implosion?
The exact cause of the implosion is still not clear but an engineering Professor at Imperial College London, Roderick Smith said the implosion was likely due to the “failure of the pressure hull”. But in order to carry out a full investigation, other debris will need to be recovered.
Even then, it could be challenging to identify the root reason.
According to Smith, “The implosion’s violence means that it may be exceedingly difficult to determine the order of events. Here’s a video from Global News discussing what could have caused the implosion.
Tourists aboard the Titan Submarine
The five people on board were pilot Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, the company leading the expedition; British adventurer Hamish Harding; Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, a father and son from a prominent Pakistani business family; and French undersea explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The White House expressed its sympathies. It issued a statement saying, “Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives on the Titan.” “We are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers. They have endured a horrifying ordeal over the past few days.”
Pakistan also expressed its sympathies to the families of the other travelers as well as Dawood.
The wealthy explorer was characterized as “one of a kind” by the Harding family.
We cherished him. Whatever the environment, he was a passionate explorer who lived for his family, his business, and the upcoming adventure. The statement read, “Whatever he accomplished in his lifetime was truly exceptional, and if there is any tiny solace we can draw from this tragedy, it is that we lost him doing what he loved.
The stepson of Nargeolet, John Paschall, told the American television network CBS that his father was an influence.
“Science is now my favorite subject, and he never pressed me to do anything in it. Paschall stated, “I went and asked, and he just did it.
OceanGate paid respect to the victims as well, stating that “These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.”
What’s next for the search mission?
The US Coast Guard will keep looking in the area of the Titanic in hopes of finding further hints about what happened to the OceanGate Titan submarine.
There is no set date for when the international search will end, according to officials. According to First Coast Guard District Rear Admiral John Mauger, there is no guarantee that any remains will be discovered or recovered.
They have found five pieces of debris so far. These include the Titan’s nose cone, the front-end bell, the rear-end bell, and a portion of the pressure chamber.