The questions about the quantity of oxygen available on board did not ultimately have much interest. The “Titan” submersible has in fact “imploded” near the wreck of the Titanic, the US Coast Guard announced on Thursday evening. A few hours earlier, a robot had discovered debris at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. These do indeed come from the “Titan”, and more precisely from its hull. Its five occupants, including the famous aquanaut Paul-Henri Nargeolet, are now officially dead.
This hypothesis of an implosion was one of those deemed most likely by the experts interviewed in recent days. “What may be the cause is when the force exerted is greater than what the hull can withstand”, reacts this Thursday evening Dominique Salles, president of the General Association of Friendly Submariners (AGASM). However, “if the submersible had arrived at the bottom at 3,800 m deep, it was subjected to a pressure of 380 bars (380 kg-force per square centimeter) “. ” It is enormous ! exclaims the expert.
For the moment, we do not know when and for what precise reasons this implosion took place. Only the analysis of a large number of debris could possibly make it possible to establish them.
“In a device like this, an implosion can come from a weakness in the structure of the Titan, made up of titanium and carbon fiber but of which it is not clear in what state it can age”, describes his alongside Vice-Admiral Michel Olhagaray, former director of the Center for Advanced Military Studies. Furthermore, “the 60 cm porthole and its junction with the hull are probably weak points, because we have never seen such a large porthole in such a device”, he adds.
“It may not be forgiving, especially at such depth”
Officials of the company OceanGate and designers of the Titan have also been heavily criticized in recent days, in particular because they have not complied with all regulatory safety standards. This Thursday evening, they paid tribute to five “true explorers who shared a spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the oceans”.
Moreover, the “Titan” having already dived to such depths, “it was subjected to significant and continuous pressure variations from 0 to 380 bar, which could have accentuated any fragilities of the hull”, underlines Dominique Rooms. These “fragilities” could come, for example, “from an anomaly or a lack of precision in the design of the device”. “And it may not be forgiving, especially at such depth,” adds the expert.
Now that the fate of the five passengers is unfortunately sealed, what will happen? “We will continue the research” to understand precisely what happened, promised a US Coast Guard official. On the other hand, it seems very unlikely that the bodies of the five men can be found and brought to the surface.
