The Titan submarine lost contact with the mothership on Sunday. What happened? Is there any chance of finding them alive?
After disappearing since Sunday, the Titan submarine might have become an underwater coffin. Stranded somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, either below the sea or above the surface, the vessel is nowhere to be found.
The Titan was part of the OceanGate fleet, a company that arranges expensive tours in the depth of the Oceans. This vessel in particular was designed to reach the wreck of the Titanic, the infamous transatlantic ship that sank during its first trip in 1912.
The Titanic, or whatever remains of it, sits on the seabed 4000ft deep. Very few human-made objects can reach those depths, especially in one single piece.
The price for a ticket on the Titan ranged around $250.000 and only five people could board the vessel: two crew members and three visitors. Its extremely small size forces occupants to sit down at all times. Tourists are required to remove their shoes before boarding.
So, what could have happened to the Titan? Is there still any hope of retrieving the five people trapped inside alive?
Scenario 1: instant death
The first and most likely scenario was a sudden implosion of the submarine and the consequent instant death of whoever was inside.
At those depths, there is an unbearable amount of pressure. Only carefully collaudated submarines can reach them without imploding underwater.
According to the New York Times, OceanGate received backlash because of its lax safety precautions. According to a former employee, he was terminated for raising concerns about the Titan: the submarine was designed for maximum depths of 1300 feet, while the Titanic is almost three times deeper.
If this was true, the Titan most likely collapsed under water pressure.
Scenario 2: electrical malfunctioning
The Titan completely disappeared on Sunday when another OceanGate ship lost communication with it. A possible cause could be unreversible electrical damage, which could also explain why seemingly none of the seven emergency measures were activated.
Experts say the Titan had enough oxygen for four days. Thursday morning, at 11:00 local time, those four days had elapsed.
The rescue team is searching for the vessel in an area of 20.000 sq/ft. By the time it will be found, the five people on board might have died of asphyxiation.
Scenario 3: communication malfunctioning
The third and final scenario is that the Titan keeps working perfectly fine, but has lost radio communication with the mothership.
In this case, the submarine could have refloated but was unable to communicate its position in any way.
Once again, the five people inside might have died of asphyxiation, just above the surface instead of below it.
The Titan is designed to be opened only from the outside. The five people inside are literally trapped, as the door is shut with 19 heavy bolts: another serious safety mismanagement by OceanGate.
