OceanGate submersible imploded, killing all 5 onboard – How different was the vessel from a submarine?

Owned and operated by OceanGate Expeditions, a submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck, killing all passengers, authorities said Thursday, bringing a tragic end to an intense around-the-clock search operation.

The pinch of hope that remained for finding the five men alive got wiped away early Thursday, when the vessel’s 96-hour oxygen supply was expected to run out following its launch on Sunday. Contact with ‘Titan’ was lost just under two hours after it began its dive.

After the submersible was reported missing, the US Navy analysed its acoustic data and found an anomaly that represented a potential “implosion or explosion” near the spot where Titan was operating when communications were lost, a senior Navy official told the AP on Thursday.

Dangers And Unknowns Of Deep-Sea Tourism

Although the Navy informed the Coast Guard of the same, the latter continued its work because the Navy didn’t consider the information to be definitive. All five people on board, including CEO and pilot Stockton Rush, 61, “have sadly been lost,” OceanGate said in a statement.

The other passengers were Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, British adventurer Hamish Harding, 58, and two members of a prominent family in Pakistan – Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman Dawood, 19.

The incident brings the spotlight on the dangers and unknowns of deep-sea tourism, said Nicolai Roterman, a deep-sea ecologist and lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard will continue searching for more signs.

How Different Is A Submersible From A Submarine?

Titan is classed as a submersible. One of the key differences between the two types of vessels is a submarine can launch itself from port and return to port on its own, while a submersible depends on a mothership or support vessel that can launch it, guide it and recover it.

Another major difference is with the design. Unlike a submarine, Titan didn’t have an emergency hatch that can be opened from the inside. Terrifyingly, the passengers are locked inside the vessel with the hatch bolted down from the outside.