New footage of the wreckage of the Titan submarine, released by the US Coast Guard, has revealed the extent of the destruction caused by the June implosion that killed all five passengers on board.
The Coast Guard recently published new images of the remains of the submersible, which crashed at great depth in the Atlantic. The images reveal the final location of parts of the Titan, including the front door and porthole, lying on the seabed, with other fragments visible buried in the sand several meters away. This is only part of the wreckage, and earlier footage already showed the rear section of the submersible, with the tail cone sticking out of the ocean floor at a depth of 3,775 meters.
Passengers on board were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, along with French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Although the implosion was fatal for all on board, some large parts of the submersible remained relatively intact, raising questions. Physics professor Arun Bansil of Northeastern University explained that although it may seem counterintuitive, large objects do not completely disintegrate during an implosion.
“For example, a pressure cooker usually explodes with the lid off, but the body remains intact. The same thing happened with Titan, where the weak points gave way first,” he explained.
The Titan submersible was at the center of a public inquiry that began on September 16 examining the causes of the disaster. The hearing revealed troubling details about the construction of the submersible, which was unregistered, uncertified and untested by third parties. It was also revealed that some parts of its body had been joined with an adhesive, an unusual practice for such a vehicle.
David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, testified that he had “zero confidence” in the construction of the submersible and that there was constant pressure from the company to launch the Titan as quickly as possible to generate profit.
Recent footage and hearing testimony highlight serious issues with the safety and construction of the submersible, raising questions about how such commercial expeditions are managed and regulated.
Source: www.doctorulzilei.ro
