What is a catastrophic implosion, How it led to death of billionaires in Titan Sub?

The OceanGate company confirmed this Thursday that the five men who were on board the Titan submarine, missing since Sunday, died from the implosion of the ship. Earlier, the US Coast Guard had found a "debris field" in the drop zone of the submersible heading into the depths of the North Atlantic to visit the wreckage of the Titanic.

As explained by the United States Coast Guard, the submersible suffered a "catastrophic implosion" after which the occupants of the ship died. "The wreckage is consistent with a catastrophic loss of chamber pressure " for the Titan, whose communication was lost two hours after the dive began Sunday.

OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owns the submersible, also reported that, according to the data available to it, the crew members did not survive. The company issued a statement stating, "We regret to inform that we now believe our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and her son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet have unfortunately gone missing."

The Titanic continues to fascinate, the remains sleep at more than 3,800 meters in the glacial waters of the North Atlantic, but this does not prevent the curious who want to visit the ship that succumbed to an iceberg 114 years ago. Approaching the ship means a heavy investment, not only financial but also technical prowess.

The Safeguard Operations Coordination Center (CCCOS) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, announced that they lost contact with the ship at approximately 9:13 p.m. on Sunday, which was one hour and forty-five minutes after the device started its descent.

What Is Catastrophic Implosion

Catastrophic implosion refers to a sudden and devastating collapse or failure of a system or structure, often resulting in severe damage or destruction. It occurs when immense pressure or stress overwhelms the object, causing it to collapse inwardly with significant force.

This can happen in various scenarios, such as building collapses, explosions, or the failure of large machinery. The term highlights the sudden and disastrous nature of the event, where the object collapses in on itself, leading to potentially catastrophic consequences.

What does it consist of?

To understand the consequences of this implosion, it is vital to understand the pressure exerted by water in the depths of the oceans. The Titanic was 3,800 meters deep. Specifically, in that position, the pressure is 395 times more intense than that on the surface.

Steve Somlyody, a research scientist with 20 years of experience in submersible design and operation, told Fox News that due to the pressure found in the deep sea, could have caused an implosion instantly. “The pressure down there is 4,000 meters, it is quite high. If they had some kind of leak, it would cause an implosion and it would happen in an instant, very immediately. You wouldn't even realize what happened," he said.

Implosion differs from the explosion as it represents the opposite phenomenon. To understand it better, consider a situation where pressure accumulates within a confined area, like when a balloon is excessively inflated.

In such cases, the balloon bursts or explodes due to the internal pressure. In the case of implosion, the collapse takes place inwards. Although the causes that would have generated the implosion are unknown, it took place because the external pressure of the ocean was higher than that which existed inside the submersible, causing the terrible outcome.

Could anyone have prevented it?

What is clear is that in recent years there have been some voices that have expressed concern about the design of the submersible. Although the Titan was designed by NASA and comprised of carbon fiber and titanium, it was never certified by an outside organization.

Already in 2018, David Lochridge, director of marine operations for OceanGate Expeditions, warned through a report of the need to do more tests on the submersible. Still, many experts argue that the ship should have been able to withstand the pressure generated at those depths.

Health effects

Much has been speculated about the causes of the accident and even about the duration of the oxygen (life support) of the device. Shortly before six o'clock in the afternoon Spanish time, the Coast Guard reports that an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) discovered a debris field within the search area near the Titanic: " Experts are evaluating the information", they have said.

The reality of the facts is that the hopes of finding them alive, according to the technical characteristics of the vehicle provided by the OceanGate company, are minimal.

According to numerous reports, the cold first and the lack of oxygen later would be the main dangers that the expedition members would face.

The search for the Titan involves troops and resources from the US, Canada, France and the United Kingdom, with planes, boats and underwater drones. Rear Admiral John Mauger of the Coast Guard said Thursday in an interview with NBC that the search and rescue are continuing with the arrival of "new capability."

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