OceanGate Titan: What happens to a submarine and its passengers when it implodes?

According to the Coast Guard, the Titan submersible appeared to have had a “catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” imploding 1,600 feet away from the well-known Titanic wreckage its five passengers had wanted to visit.

Intense underwater pressures, such as those found 12,500 feet below the surface, are something that submersibles are made to resist. The pressure down there is around 400 times higher than at sea level. But any flaw or damage to the vehicle’s hull may cause a leak, and under those intense pressures, the vessel would instantly implode, according to HITC.

Also Read: Can Titan Five’s bodies be recovered from OceanGate submersible after it imploded?

The sub lost contact with its mothership about one hour and 45 minutes after launch. However, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said it was too soon to say if the implosion occurred at the same time. However, buoys used to search for the missing vessel did not hear the implosion, according to the Coast Guard, indicating the catastrophe probably happened before the search was launched.

The complete opposite of an explosion is an implosion. Pressure from the outside is flowing in, as opposed to pressure from within pushing outward. The vessel and its cargo, like an explosion, are unlikely to be recoverable.

An implosion “could occur if any part of the submersible’s carbon fiber and titanium hull has suffered a small crack or fault,” according to National World. The actual implosion resembles a bubble formed by the weight of the water.

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The Journal of Physics: Conference Series states that the implosion would have been nearly immediate and have lasted barely a few milliseconds. The USS Thresher submarine experienced a similar incident in 1961; it is believed that the submarine exploded.

According to HITC, a submarine that implodes collapses inwards on itself as a result of the intense pressure of the water. No one would be able to withstand the catastrophe that would occur to those on board.

Also Read: Did OceanGate Titan Submersible that imploded have a black box?

The disastrous occurrence would have torn the metal vessel apart ‘like taffy’ according to Naval History Magazine. Complete destruction would take place in 1/20th of a second, which is too quickly for the men within the submarine to process.

“I know it’s no great comfort to the families and the spouses, but they did die instantaneously. They were not even aware that anything was wrong,” journalist David Pogue said on CNN.