Why was the Titan allowed to dive despite safety concerns?: These 5 questions remain unanswered after the undersea drama

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Now there is a sad certainty. A French diving robot discovered debris near the Titanic skirt, all five occupants pronounced dead. What remains of Thursday night’s media conference are many unanswered questions.

Blick shows which questions need to be answered in the coming weeks.

The US Coast Guard speaks of a “catastrophic implosion”. This is suggested by a diving robot that discovered debris from the wreck on the sea floor. But that cannot be said with certainty.

In an implosion, an object suddenly collapses into itself. This happens because the capsule cannot withstand the outside pressure.

Because water is considerably heavier than air, the pressure at this depth is enormous. According to experts, the pressure at this depth is about 350 times stronger than on land. Normally this pressure is resisted by the outside wall. “Any tiniest leak can cause an instantaneous implosion,” said Tom Maddox, an underwater forensic expert for CNN.

For the crew, this statement would mean a quick death. Such an implosion would occur in a fraction of a second. Way too fast for people to even notice.

The exact time is not clear. Organizer Ocean Gate was criticized for not notifying authorities until eight hours after contact with the submarine was lost. The search field was not monitored during this period. It was also believed at the time that the submarine would be found and its occupants rescued alive.

On Sunday, the US Coast Guard then received acoustic signals indicating an implosion. According to CNN information, the information was passed, but the noise was classified as “inconclusive”.

The Coast Guard confirms that the search field has been monitored for noise in recent days. However, according to the authority, these devices also recorded no sound. It is therefore possible that the submarine imploded before the search began.

The Coast Guard announced on Wednesday that it heard knocking sounds from the search area. Investigators said they heard the beating at 30-minute intervals.

That’s what Admiral John said at the press conference Thursday evening Swiss time Mauger of the Coast Guard that there appeared to be no connection between the underwater noise and the search.

The list of shortcomings that came to light after the accident is long: the porthole was only certified for one third of the depth of the Titanic, the steering was based on a modified Logitech controller and the material of the hull was supposed to be should not have been optimal.

A former naval operations director at Ocean Gate has been fired after raising concerns about the Titan boat’s carbon fiber hull and other systems ahead of a maiden voyage. This is evident from a lawsuit from 2018, about which several American media reported unanimously.

In an interview with CBS a year ago, Ocean Gate CEO Stockton Rush said there should be “limits” to security. “If you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed, don’t get in your car, don’t do anything. I think I can do that just as safely as breaking the rules.”

Deep-sea exploration in international waters where Titan has sailed is largely unregulated, oceanography expert Simon Boxall of the University of Southampton told the BBC. It is now speculated that this could change as a result of the “Titan” tragedy.

The boss of White Star Memories company, which specializes in Titanic exhibits, David Scott-Beddard, told broadcaster CNN: “There will certainly be an investigation after this disaster and there will be much stricter rules and regulations.”

Source: Blick