What happens during a catastrophic implosion? Titan submersible occupants likely died instantly
Experts have confirmed that the Titan submersible suffered a devastating implosion in the deep North Atlantic, causing the instantaneous death of its pilot and four passengers due to the immense water pressure.
The occurrence of an implosion was considered the most severe outcome among the various scenarios anticipated during the exhaustive round-the-clock search for the missing vessel.
Although an "anomaly" detected by a U.S. Navy acoustics system indicated that the craft likely imploded on the same day it went missing, Sunday, authorities did not initially deem this information conclusive. However, the international search effort persisted until the Coast Guard officially announced the deaths resulting from a "catastrophic implosion" on Thursday. Currently, search teams are still striving to find evidence of the incident near the Titanic shipwreck, approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) beneath the ocean surface.
Experts had previously cautioned that the Titan's hull could implode under extreme pressure at such great depths, leading to immediate fatality for all occupants on board the vessel.
Bob Ballard, a member of the team that discovered the Titanic wreck in 1985, emphasized the incredible destructive force involved in an implosion. In an interview with ABC News, he stated, "I don't think people can appreciate the amazing energy involved in the destructive process of an implosion. It just takes out and literally shreds everything."
While OceanGate Expeditions, the owner and operator of the Titan submersible, highlighted the spacious carbon-fiber cylinder-shaped cabin, industry experts noted that it differed from the typical sphere-shaped titanium cabins used in most submersibles. According to Chris Roman, a professor at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, a sphere is considered a "perfect shape" because it evenly distributes the water pressure across all areas.
The Titan, measuring 22 feet long (6.7 meters) and weighing 23,000 pounds (10,432 kilograms), had a larger internal volume compared to other submersibles, but it still provided limited space for a maximum of five seated individuals. This larger volume subjected the submersible to increased external pressure. At the site of the Titanic wreck, approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface, the water pressure reaches around 400 atmospheres or 6,000 pounds per square inch, akin to the force of "a whale biting on somebody," as described by Arun Bansil, a physics professor at Northeastern University.
Despite the composite hull of the Titan equipped with sensors capable of withstanding high pressures near the ocean floor, any defect could result in a nearly instantaneous implosion in less than 40 milliseconds, according to Eric Fusil, an associate professor and director of the Shipbuilding Hub at the University of Adelaide in Australia. Bansil further added that the passengers on board would likely have had no awareness of what had occurred.
Jasper Graham-Jones, an associate professor of mechanical and marine engineering at the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, mentioned that the Titan had undergone over two dozen deep-sea dives, which placed repeated stress on the hull. This stress could potentially cause delamination—a horizontal splitting of the carbon-fiber hull.
Neither the Coast Guard nor OceanGate Expeditions has released specific details regarding the implosion. A similar tragedy took place in 1963 when the USS Thresher, a nuclear-powered submarine, likely imploded after exceeding its "test depth" following a series of other failures. The incident claimed the lives of 129 sailors and civilians during a routine test dive off Cape Cod.