TITAN SUBMERSIBLE TRAGEDY "2023"

TITAN SUBMERSIBLE TRAGEDY “2023”

ABOUT SUBMERSIBLE COMPANY:

In 2009, Aerospace engineer Stockton Rush and Guillermo Sohnlein founder and CEO of Ocean Gate Private Company in Everett, Washington developed 4000meter (13,123 feet) and 6000 meter (19,685 feet) depth capable crewed submersible for charter and scientific research. The company owned a submersible vessel, Antipodes and built Cyclops1 and Titan.

FOCUS OF THE COMPANY:

Privately owned company Ocean Gate Expeditions focus was to develop advance Marine science, history and archaeology. Focus on the shipwrecks, hydrothermal vents and deep sea canyons.

TITAN SUBMERSIBLE:

The concept of Titan Submersible is to explore the depths where the Titanic (sank in 1912) wreckage lies in North Atlantic Ocean. In 2021, Ocean gate began the service for the outsider to visit the wreck of the Titanic. Titan submersible takes the passenger to the shipwreck at the cost of US $250,000 per person. The travel last for 10 hours in which passengers can view the Titanic wreckage about 20 minutes.

SPECIFICATION OF TITAN:

The Titan, an advanced 22 feet long craft, constructed with “Titanium and filament wound carbon fiber” weighs about 10,432kg in air and specially ballasted to achieve neutral buoyancy when it touches the sea floor. It is capable to dive a depth of four kilometer (2.4miles) with sufficient safety (specification as per Ocean Gate to US District court in Virginia). The system consists of ability to release sand bags, lead pipes and an inflatable balloon at the time of critical situation.

The Titan is comparable to minivan, Interior is metal tube like structure, capacity of carrying five person. Passengers sit on the floor, movement are restricted due to confined space. The vessel is been controlled by a video game controller (joy stick), have four electric thruster for propulsion, and was equipped with battery of cameras, light and scanner to help with deep water exploration. The Titan designed to remain submerged for duration of 96 hours.

source: Ocean Gate

LAST JOURNEY OF TITAN SUBMERSIBLE:

On 18^th June 2023, Titan submersible started its third journey with five crew member to explore the Titanic shipwreck from the coasts of Newfoundland. Five crew member were

Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of Ocean Gate Expeditions age 61.

British adventurer Hamish Harding age 58.

French Diver Paul Henri Nargeolet age 77.

Pakistani born Business man Shahzada Dawood age 48 and his son Suleman age 19.

    After few hours, the submersible lost communication with mother ship about 1hour 45 minutes in its dive and authorities were altered, as the Titan failed to resurface at the scheduled time.

SEARCH:

United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Canadian Coast Guard with the support of Royal Canadian Air Force, US Air National Guard and Royal Canadian Navy ship began their search at the North Atlantic Ocean. Unpredictable weather condition, immense pressure of deep sea water, water terrain of mountain and valley complicated the task of search. The search prolonged nearly 80 hours spanning of five days. Finally with the help of remotely operated diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian vessel, debris field containing parts of Titan was discovered about 500 meter (1600 ft) from the bow of the Titanic, announced by Rear Admiral John Mauger of US Coast Guard to media.

The debris identified was the tail cone and two section of the pressure hull (landing frame). No official statement about the remains of human.

CAUSE OF THE TRADEGY:

The Coast guard said that the submersible has been imploded in the deep Atlantic Ocean result in the loss of lives of five people on the board due to the “Catastrophic implosion”. In detail the pressure outside have been equivalent to the tens of thousands of tones, the pressure outside would compress the vessel and disintegrate its carbon fiber body. Thus the submersible hull collapses, it moves inward at about 1500 mph (2414 km/hr) to 2200 ft per second. The US Navy coastal guard has officially declared all five passengers on board of Titan submersible have been killed although their bodies have not recovered.

DRAWBACKS OF OCEAN GATE:

Titan was found to be operating without proper registration and had not received classification from Maritime Industry groups that establish standards for design and construction and lack of government regulation in International waters. Few consider that main cause for the incident is due to the negligence of the warning about the safety measures by few personals who experienced the journey in Titan earlier.