Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@sincerelybootz
Topics: Science, Technology, US News, World News, Titanic
Emily Brown
Topics: Science, Technology, US News, World News, Titanic
A dramatic simulation demonstrates what might have happened when the missing Titan submersible vessel imploded in the Atlantic Ocean.
The US Coast Guard announced the 'catastrophic implosion' of the Titan vessel on Thursday (22 June), after debris was discovered near the wreck of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The vessel carrying five passengers lost contact with its mothership on 18 June, sparking an urgent search and rescue mission involving planes, ships and sonar buoys.
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The Coast Guard later confirmed that the tail cone of the Titan had been discovered around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreckage, and that further debris found was 'consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber'.
In the wake of the news, one TikTok user shared a video which demonstrates what the implosion of an underwater vessel may look like, showing how it collapses and implodes within a matter of seconds.
The simulation mirrors descriptions of implosions shared by experts such as Aileen Maria Marty, a former Naval officer and professor at Florida International University, who told CNN a catastrophic implosion is 'incredibly quick'.
The simulation may even be a slower representation of the event, as Marty said it could take place within just a fraction of a millisecond.
“The entire thing would have collapsed before the individuals inside would even realize that there was a problem,” she said. “Ultimately, among the many ways in which we can pass, that’s painless.”
Dive expert David Mearns echoed Marty's words as he described the speed of the implosion as a 'saving grace', telling Sky News: "The only saving grace about that is that it would have been immediate, literally in milliseconds, and the men would have no idea what was happening."
Experts have admitted that it is unlikely any bodies will be recovered in the wake of the tragic events, and while the US Coast Guard has said it will continue the search to try and recover what it can, it noted the deep sea floor is an 'incredibly unforgiving environment'.
Rear Admiral John Mauger, who was leading the search operation, stressed that his thoughts are with the families of the five people who were on board and that he is focused on 'making sure that they have an understanding as best as we can provide of what happened and begin to find some closure'.
Search teams will continue to 'investigate the site of the debris field' to try and answer questions about 'how, why and when' the implosion took place, he said.