Titan submersible survives ‘catastrophic explosion’

Worst-case scenario confirmed: A “catastrophic explosion” destroyed the Titan tourist submersible and caused the instant death of five passengers, the US Coast Guard and OceanGate Expeditions, the owner of the vessel, said Thursday.

The tragic outcome was confirmed after a Canadian underwater robot discovered a “garbage field” at a depth of more than 3,800 meters and about 200 meters from the bow of the Titanic. The wreckage already identified includes the rear cone and the back of the submersible’s pressure chamber, confirming that the vessel survived a “catastrophic explosion” that resulted in the instant deaths of five passengers. Everything indicates that this happened on Sunday morning, when the mother ship lost contact with the submersible. “We will continue to explore the debris field. I know that there are many questions about how, why and when this happened, and we will collect as much information as possible, ”Admiral John Mauger promised.

“These men were true explorers who shared a special spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the oceans. Our hearts go out to these five souls and all their families,” OceanGate said in a statement.

OceanGate ignores warnings
OceanGate Expeditions, the owner of the craft, ignored repeated warnings about safety issues and even fired an engineer who warned the craft was unsafe. David Loughridge, Director of Operations for Project Titan, questioned the development and testing process of the submersible in 2018 and refused to agree to conduct manned dives, as he understood that the necessary safety conditions were not met. He was fired without delay. That same year, the Marine Technology Society wrote a letter to the company’s CEO, Stockton Rush, a pilot on the current expedition, expressing concern about the vessel’s lack of independent certification, but the letter was ignored. “Sometimes you have to break the rules,” Rush said.

Some of the passengers on previous dives complained of technical problems, including power outages, and apparent poor quality materials: the lighting was purchased from a camping store, the cameras were purchased from an electronics store, and the submarine was piloted using a video game controller. .

Eight hours to raise the alarm
It took OceanGate eight hours to alert the Coast Guard that the Titan was missing. Communication with the submersible was lost at 13:45 on Sunday, and the alarm was not raised until 21:40.

Connection with the victims of the Titanic
Wendy Rush, wife of the CEO of OceanGate and pilot of the fateful Titan mission, is a descendant of Isidore and Ida Strauss, two passengers who died in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.