OceanGate Submarine Implosion: Where did it go Wrong? – Isabel T
It’s probably inevitable that you’ve heard about the leadup to the submarine’s implosion containing 5 people while visiting the site of the Titanic in the Atlantic. Having a chokehold on most news platforms, it even got as far as one news platform, NewsNation, included a timer stating how many hours left of oxygen the crew had left. Another popular story involved a conspiracy where the crew (composing of wealthy businessmen) had actually faked their deaths to live on a Fijian island in order to avoid paying taxes. Despite the overwhelming media response to the event, what were the reasons the crew met their fate 12,500 feet below sea surface?
With each passenger charged with £250,000 each for the trip, surely their safety would be almost guaranteed? Despite the submarine being controlled with a Logitech controller, the founder, Stockton Rush, had been on 13 previous visits to the Titanic and ensured its safety during interviews. The U.S Coastguard stated that the submarine, Titan, experienced a ‘catastrophic implosion’. This is where the immense pressure due to the extreme depth causes an object to compress and crush within itself. Titan was recorded to be at around 12,500 feet, equivalent to 375 atmospheres of pressure. Titan was constructed with a carbon fibre hull and titanium, which were designed to withstand the incredible pressure from the Atlantic. However, if the object is faced with any fault, this can lead to exploitation of the fault, leading to implosion. It is unclear the true reason for its implosion, but it is believed it could’ve been human error, equipment failure or design deficiencies. But what happened to the 5 people on board? Due to the immediate events of the implosion, they would’ve been killed instantly due to the air-filled spaces within their body collapsing due to the pressure.
It is undecided whether there will be legal action taking place, as the passengers had signed a lengthy agreement, a liability waiver, acknowledging the dangers and possibility of death that could occur during the trip. However, passenger Hamish Harding’s stepson attended a Blink-182 concert while search search parties were sent out searching for the crew. He wrote on his now deleted post, “It might be distasteful being here but my family would want me to be at the Blink-182 show as it’s my favourite band and music helps me in difficult times.”
After the debris of the submarine is now currently being recovered, it is still speculated whether the implosion was catalysed due to inadequate testing or inevitable due to the Logitech controller?
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