Delving into Disaster: Understanding the Implosion of Titan and Oceangate’s Submersible
The photographs showcasing the wreckage of the Titan submersible provide supporting evidence for the theory that attributes the vessel’s devastating collapse to its carbon-fiber hull. Recently, fragments from the Titan submersible were retrieved by the US Coast Guard and briefly examined before being taken for further analysis. Jasper Graham-Jones, an associate professor in Mechanical & Marine Engineering at Plymouth University, thoroughly studied the footage and photographs on behalf of Insider.
While it is not possible to draw definitive conclusions based solely on these images, according to Jasper Graham-Jones, the most likely scenario is that the carbon-fiber hull gave in to the immense pressure exerted by the depths of the ocean. Another possibility is that the ship’s small front viewport failed. Graham-Jones noted that, based on the available information, the most plausible explanation is that the ship’s hull failed first. Investigators will now meticulously examine the remaining parts of the vessel to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the incident.
They will carefully scrutinize all the components, effectively conducting a microscopic investigation to understand the nature of the failure, as explained by Graham-Jones. Officials in the US announced that they would provide a report in one to two years. On June 18, a team from OceanGate Expeditions embarked on a voyage to the Titanic wreckage using their submersible, known as Titan.
The team consisted of Stockton Rush, the founder, and CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, aged 61, Hamish Harding, aged 58, renowned Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, aged 77, and business tycoon Shahzada Dawood, aged 48, accompanied by his 19-year-old son Suleman.
The Titan submersible descended into the Atlantic Ocean, setting off on a journey toward the Titanic wreckage site, located over 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. According to experts, the submersible reached a depth of nearly 10,000 feet beneath the ocean surface, approximately one hour and 45 minutes into its planned two-hour expedition. However, communication with the OceanGate mothership was lost at that point.
After a gripping search that captured global attention, the US Coast Guard announced on Thursday that it had discovered a range of debris on the ocean floor around 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. This finding indicates that the submersible experienced a “catastrophic implosion,” resulting in the instantaneous loss of all individuals on board.
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