In the wake of the loss of the Titan submersible, U.S. Coast Guard Rear-Admiral John Mauger said Thursday that debris was found on the ocean floor that experts believe is “consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” and “a catastrophic implosion of the vessel.”
A catastrophic implosion happens when a vessel under immense pressures collapses in on itself very quickly.
On Sunday, the Titan, with five men on board, was about one hour and 45 minutes into its two-hour descent from the surface to the wreckage of the Titanic when contact with the submersible was lost.
Mauger said Thursday that debris from the Titan was found by a remotely-operated vehicle about 490 metres from the bow of the Titanic.
Wreckage from the missing Titan submersible has been found near the site of the Titanic. All those who were on board are lost at sea. Andrew Chang explains what happened and how the Titan was destroyed.
The Titanic’s debris rests about 3,800 metres down in the North Atlantic. At that depth, the water pressure would be 5,500 to 5,600 pounds per square inch (37,920 to 38,610 kilopascals).
Stefan Williams, a professor of marine robotics at the University of Sydney, wrote in a blog post earlier this week that at 3,800 metres under the sea the water pressure is about 380 times greater than the atmospheric pressure on the surface of the earth.
“Although the Titan’s composite hull is built to withstand intense deep-sea pressures, any defect in its shape or build could compromise its integrity — in which case there’s a risk of implosion,” Williams wrote.
Aileen Maria Marty, a former naval officer and professor at Florida International University, told CNN that a catastrophic implosion is “incredibly quick,” happening in just a fraction of a millisecond.
“The entire thing would have collapsed before the individuals inside would even realize that there was a problem,” she said. “Ultimately, among the many ways in which we can pass, that’s painless.”
Armin Cate, a former commander in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and a retired senior special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, told NBC News that the the force of the water was so strong “that it blew the back and the front of the submersible off.”
“When you crush that tube in the middle it’s like crushing a can of Coca-Cola you might say,” he said.
The five passengers on the missing Titan submersible are considered lost at sea after the U.S. coast guard said on Thursday it had found debris ‘consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.’ Rear Admiral John Mauger said the prospects of recovering the men’s bodies are unclear.
Mauger said the prospects of recovering the men’s bodies are unclear. He also said answering the questions of when and what happened to the Titan will be difficult.
“It is a complex case to work through, but I’m confident that those questions will begin to get answered,” he said Thursday.
Experts say debris from the Titan will need to recovered from the ocean floor to carry out a full investigation into the cause of the implosion.
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