In the early hours of April 15, 1912, the luxurious ship RMS Titanic perished in the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland after colliding with an iceberg on its first voyage. More than 1,500 people died in the catastrophe, out of the 2,240 passengers and crew. The news shook the world.
The terrible incident of the sinking ship that had been hailed “unsinkable” was shown in James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic. There have been several efforts to see its debris lying around 13,000 feet below sea level.
On June 18, Titan, a submersible operated by OceanGate set its voyage with five passengers to see the Titanic’s sunken wreckage off the coast of Newfoundland. The submersible had only been equipped with 96 hours of oxygen. The five men on board included the CEO of the tour operator, a British businessman, a renowned French diver, and a Pakisatani billionaire and his son. Two hours later, it lost contact. Following this, on June 18, a search operation for the Titan submersible was launched in collaboration with deep-water experts from Canada, the UK, and France.
The US Navy claimed on June 18 said that they heard a sound that would match with an implosion. Since then, search crews have discovered pieces of the Titan submersible, providing further proof that everyone on board died. News reports have also verified that OceanGate Expeditions’ Titan submersible has imploded in the Atlantic Ocean.
The US Coast Guard found a “debris field” close to the Titanic shipwreck on June 22, giving an important update after four days of search operations. The US Coast Guard confirmed that the tail cone of the deep-sea vessel was discovered around 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. The Titan’s operator, OpenGate, stated that its “hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time.” They were “true explorers” who “shared a distinct spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” the statement read.
After news broke that search crews had heard banging on June 20 every 30 minutes, there appeared to be some hope, even though they were unable to find the source of the noise.
After a five-day multinational search, operation came to an end on June 23 after it was concluded that OceanGate’s Titan craft has imploded. All five members onboard vessel have been declared dead.
How does an implosion occur?
The sudden internal collapse of a vessel underwater is referred to as an implosion. The submersible would have been under a lot of pressure at the depths it was descending to. However, it can also be noted that the Titan, developed by Everett, Washington-based OceanGate Inc., was designed to withstand the intense water pressure at the Titanic’s depth and had already conducted several dives to the wreck.
The Titanic wreck is located about 13,000 feet below sea level. According to sources, around 5,600 pounds per square inch of pressure – more than a thousand times what humans experience on the surface is felt at the depth where the Titanic is sitting. The submersible was about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the approximately 2-hour descent when it lost touch. It is unknown where or how deep the Titan was when the implosion happened.
Film Director James Cameron, who has completed 33 dives to the wreck, said he suspected a disaster after the sub went missing. The OceanGate vessel’s safety measures have been under close examination ever since the Titan sub went missing. As investigators continue looking for wreckage, many unanswered concerns remain, like the precise timing of the submersible’s implosion and what went wrong.