All 5 people on the Titanic tour submersible are dead following an implosion

[thewayne]

Very sad. Apparently the pressure vessel, i.e. carbon-fiber tube, suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing everyone pretty much instantly.

Early today an remote-operated vehicle (ROV) spotted a debris field on the ocean floor. Further study showed it to be pieces of the submersible. The Coast Guard Admiral who gave the news at a press conference was asked if the bodies could be recovered, he said he didn't know and that the bottom of the ocean is a very unforgiving place.

As to the banging noises heard on sonobuoys? Might have been man-made, might not have been. Classifying sounds on sonar and via sonobuoys is a very tricky thing. I don't know if they'll be able to determine when the vessel imploded in relation to when the banging noises were heard. Also, sound heard underwater: it's difficult to plot distance and location because thermal and salinity layers can make it a non-linear path.

There was very little hope the people would be found alive, but there was a little. Sadly, this was the likely result.

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/22/1183661199/sub-titan-titanic-missing-search

Comments

[acelightning73]

I heard that the vehicle didn't have an escape hatch nor an emergency radio buoy. Passengers got into the vessel and a heavy top was sealed with a gasket and bolted down with 17 bolts. No spare oxygen, no beacon, no communication devices, and it was probably never tested in a pressure tank. BAD DESIGN KILLS, boys and girls!

[thewayne]

Yep.  Some interesting design elements, seven different ways of forcing it to surface including ropes that dissolve in sea water after a period of time, but it didn't do any good.  Definitely not designed for safety.

[captainsblog]

I've been holding off on the black humor after some complaints about the early ones (Celine Dion playing in the cabin, which it was), but I do wonder if it will eventually turn out that Ron DeSantis just kidnapped them all and they're going to wash ashore on Martha's Vineyard.

[thewayne]

Okay. The Ron Desantis one got a chuckle from me.

I think if they were playing Celine Dion I'd be trying to claw my way out.