The case of the Titan submersible, which went missing en route to the Titanic last week, had people on land and sea alike in suspense. On Thursday (June 22), the US Coast Guard confirmed that the wreck of the vessel operated by tourism company OceanGate was discovered just 500 meters from the sunken luxury cruiser. All five occupants lost their lives.
The idea of being trapped almost 4000 meters under the ocean sounds like a nightmare to many. However, an expert confirmed that the inmates died a quick and painless death.
Strong negative pressure caused a rapid implosion
Aileen Marty, a professor of disaster medicine and ex-naval officer, confirmed that the five passengers were probably unaware of the accident. “The whole thing collapsed before the people inside even realized there was a problem,” Marty said in an interview with US news channel CNN. Under the massive water pressure that prevails at this depth, the submersible imploded within just milliseconds. Far too fast to even realize what was happening. According to the expert, “This was painless given the many ways we can die.”
In an implosion, a strong external pressure acts on a much lower internal pressure. The balance of power behaves in the opposite direction to an explosion. Even a minimal structural defect can cause a submarine to be crushed like a pea at such a depth. However, what exactly caused the accident has not yet been clarified.
From James Cameron to Cardi B: The accident caused a stir
While rescuers and relatives were still hoping for a salvage, the case already produced many reactions. The “Titanic” director and ocean enthusiast James Cameron drew parallels to the passenger ship that sank in the same place in the North Atlantic in 1912. Cameron himself made several dives to the sunken wreck.
The rapper Cardi B, on the other hand, caused astonishment. The American took on the stepson of one of the inmates publicly because he went to a concert by the band Blink-182 shortly after the “Titan” was reported missing.