E-Paper
Did Titan sub passengers realise impending doom? Expert weighs in on ‘horror movie’
The people who died aboard the Titan submersible were possibly aware of the impending implosion between 48 and 71 seconds before it occurred, an expert said
The five people who died aboard the Titan submersible were possibly aware of the impending implosion between 48 and 71 seconds before it occurred, an expert said, describing the situation as a “horror movie”. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, along with British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, after as a result of a catastrophic implosion of the Titan.
“During the controlled immersion of the Titan, there must have been an electrical fault, which left the craft without thrust,” Spanish engineer and underwater expert José Luis Martín told the Spanish news outlet NIUS. “Without thrust, the weight of the passengers and the pilot (about 400 kilograms), which was focused on the front end close to the view port, would have disrupted the Titan’s longitudinal stability.”
Jose said that the malfunction could have likely happened at a depth of about 5,500 feet. “At this point, the submersible begins to fall headlong towards the seafloor, and with control and safety functions damaged, it can no longer be maneuvered,” he theorised. “The pilot (OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush) couldn’t activate the emergency lever to drop weights (and return to the surface).”
“The Titan changes position and falls like an arrow vertically because the 400 kilos (880 pounds) of passengers that were at the porthole unbalance the submersible,” Jose said. “Everyone rushes and crowds on top of each other. Imagine the horror, the fear, and the agony. It had to be like a horror movie.”
Jose believes everything happened during 48 to 71 seconds of free fall. During this time, the group likely understood the seriousness of the situation.
“In that period of time, they are realizing everything. And what’s more, in complete darkness. It’s difficult to get an idea of what they experienced in those moments,” Jose said. “As it fell to the depths of the ocean, the hull would have been subjected to a sudden increase in underwater pressure.” This led to a “powerful compression” of the carbon-fibre hull of the vessel.
The rapid contraction of the hull “would have been out of step with what was happening to the [acrylic] material of the viewport — leading to a micro-fissure and implosion,” Jose said. “After those 48 seconds, or one minute, the implosion and instantaneous sudden death occurs.” Many have notably said structural issues with the hull may have caused the implosion.
