He learned about the death of Titan’s entire crew when underwater search operations discovered the first wreckage of the submarine. The cause was immediately called a “destructive explosion.” Rescuers found a total of two debris fields, one containing the tail cone and the other the landing gear. This indicates that the boat disintegrated before reaching the bottom and then slowly sank, scattering debris in different directions.

Cause and investigation

The structure of the wreck points to a leak, as the BBC wrote. At the time of the accident, the boat had sunk so deep that the amount of water on it would have been equal to the weight of the Eiffel Tower, that is, at least ten thousand tons. The case, which probably looked like it was made of outdated material, simply couldn’t hold up and began to collapse after a tear appeared in the carbon fiber. Pressure from outside compressed the submarine.

Submarine hull structure: left window, outline frame and white carbon fiber hull below / Photo by BBC

According to Ryan Ramsey, a former submarine captain of the British Royal Navy, investigators will collect all the wreckage they can find at the bottom to understand how to properly conduct the investigation and what can be done to prevent disaster.

There is no black box, so you can’t watch the last movements of the ship itself, but other than that, the investigation process is no different than a plane crash investigation,
– says Ramsey.

After the researchers bring the debris to the surface, they will analyze the structure of the carbon fiber pieces. Each will be carefully examined under a microscope, paying special attention to the orientation of the carbon fiber strands. The investigation will look for the rupture site, which will be a very difficult task. Collecting the remains in the pitch black of the ocean floor with the help of remote-controlled devices makes the situation worse.

Wreckage of submarine “Titan” rises to the surface / Photo AP

At this stage, it is unclear which agency will carry out the investigation, as there is no protocol for such incidents involving a submarine. The fact that the event took place in a remote part of the ocean where people of different nationalities mingled further complicates the situation. But since the US Coast Guard has played a leading role in the operation so far, it will likely continue to look into the matter.

early warning system

According to OceanGate, the ship was equipped with a “real-time hull condition monitoring system.” With the help of acoustic sensors and strain gauges, the diver can analyze the effect of pressure changes as they sink to depth and “accurately assess the integrity of the structure.” It’s actually an early warning system for a hole in the hull. If it had worked properly, the crew would have been warned to return to the surface and tragedy would have been averted. If a trunk rift was the cause of the accident, investigators must find out why it didn’t work.

If the investigation confirms his assumptions about the water intake, the next question would be: Was it due to a lack of proper testing?, as some experts suggest. The fact is that all ships must be certified. For this, an external organization checks their compliance with certain standards. OceanGate did not have such certification, explaining that the Titan was an experimental vessel and current assessment methods would not be appropriate. But Professor David Andrews of University College London doubts this approach: “If you’re a research vessel pushing the boundaries of research, that might be fine. But as soon as you start making money by carrying passengers, your eyebrows start to rise.”says.

checks

Finally, the investigation will determine whether regular checks are carried out on the “Titan”. Each time the submarine descended to a depth, its hull would contract under the immense pressure of the water – shrinking and then returning to its normal size at the surface. This regular tension would tire and weaken the material. It is not clear whether crack checking is done after each dive.and if so, how extensive was it? For example, whether the vessel is examined using ultrasound scans or X-rays for microscopic defects.