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RMS Titanic: Theories, Exploration & Madness!

Hamish Harding: British adventurer among crew missing on Titanic sub

Mr Harding, 58, chairman of aircraft firm Action Aviation, is a renowned explorer who has flown to space and holds three Guinness World Records.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65955554

If Titanic lies at 3800m and the submersible can dive to 4000m it doesn't seem to be a very large margin.
 
Maybe not, but the sub has dived to that depth on quite a few occasions.
 
I've just found out that Paul-Henri "PH" Nargeolet is one of the people missing at the Titanic wreck site. We never met but we've been in occasional contact for some two decades. He's a veteran ocean explorer and has been to the wreck probably more times than anyone else.
 
This will not end well. I doubt if the craft will even be found.
It's all there in the article.

Search for missing Titanic submersible a ‘challenge’ as rescuers race against time

Authorities are rushing “all available” resources to help with search efforts under way in the Atlantic Ocean after a submersible vessel carrying five people to the wreckage of the Titanic went missing.

The submersible – known as Titan – is operated by OceanGate Expeditions and was reported overdue on Monday. Contact was lost 1 hour 45 minutes into its dive on Sunday afternoon, the US Coast Guard said.

The vessel has the capacity to be submerged for 96 hours, but it was unclear whether it was still underwater or had surfaced and was unable to communicate.
Click to expand...
 
The sub went missing on the 18th, and they have four days worth of air, assuming they're still alive. It's almost impossible to think what can be done in that time even if an ROV (with appendages to perhaps detach the ballast?) with a support vehicle was in the area.
From what I can gather it's 2 hours roughly to the ocean floor and contact was lost 1 hr 45 minutes in. So close, if not on the bottom
 
These submarines have a big weight that if all else fails is dropped, this gives the sub positive buoyancy and it
will float to the surface, that is unless the sub as flooded or crushed, other problem is if they do get to the
surface they can not get out, the entrance is bolted shut after them and they cant get out without outside
help,
 
It's possible at that there either dead dieing or it imploded or there still alive but the longer it takes to find the sub the less chance of them being found alive.
 
RaM said:
These submarines have a big weight that if all else fails is dropped, this gives the sub positive buoyancy and it
will float to the surface, that is unless the sub as flooded or crushed, other problem is if they do get to the
surface they can not get out, the entrance is bolted shut after them and they cant get out without outside
help,
Click to expand...

This design of sub exacerbates the problem. As you say they can't remove the hatch by themselves if they had to evacuate on the surface; in previous designs escape via the top hatch was possible.
They call also jettison the extraneous elements and release the sphere. A bumpy ride to the surface probably, but survivable.

Looking at the various press items it seems that the company were in a bit of a rush to get this, the only dive planned for this year due to the bad weather, deployed. The first mission was launched on the day they got to the wreck site
 
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DrPaulLee said:
This design of sub exacerbates the problem. As you say they can't remove the hatch by themselves; in previous designs escape via the top hatch was possible.
Click to expand...
I'm wondering if this change was necessary because of a previous incident. Some people panic in public spaces like small planes. Perhaps a passenger had changed their mind?
Pure speculation of course, or if you prefer, vulgar conjecture.
 
DrPaulLee said:
This design of sub exacerbates the problem. As you say they can't remove the hatch by themselves; in previous designs escape via the top hatch was possible.
They call also jettison the extraneous elements and release the sphere. A bumpy ride to the surface probably, but survivable.

Looking at the various press items it seems that the company were in a bit of a rush to get this, the only dive planned for this year due to the bad weather, deployed. The first mission was launched on the day they got to the wreck site
Click to expand...

I can not think of any reason you would want to open the hatch from inside when you are two and a half miles down.

The weight of the water is 2.7 metric tons per square inch.
 
I get the impression that the comms are down but everything else is likely to be okay and they will surface roughly on schedule.
 
The cylinder design was adopted to allow more people, more space (they could now sit on benches rather than crunched up) and a bigger viewing hatch. I don't recall any incidents on subs like the Mirs, which took paying passengers down to the wreck.
 
ChrisBoardman said:
I can not think of any reason you would want to open the hatch from inside when you are two and a half miles down.

The weight of the water is 2.7 metric tons per square inch.
Click to expand...

I meant on the surface, obviously. Your sub could be floating around and you couldn't get out in the cylinder design. With the sphere design, you could.
 
That Byford Dolphin decompression accident was pretty horrific,
the picture is definitely not for the faint hearted.
 
They'll surface on schedule? They've been down since Sunday! No dive has lasted this long before.
 
ChrisBoardman said:
I can not think of any reason you would want to open the hatch from inside when you are two and a half miles down.
Click to expand...
Like I said: panic. We've all heard of airline passengers charging up and down aisles halfway through a flight trying to find a way off.

Even if the Titan passengers were calm when the trip started they'd soon get worried once things started going wrong.
Nobody could get out though, whether under the sea or on the surface.

Their best chance is probably floating to the top as @RaM suggests and being picked up by rescue craft.
They'd have to be found in good oxygen time though and then released from the craft under decompression conditions.
Not looking good.
 
I don't think you need decompressing in a submersible. And you couldn't open the hatch on the cylinder unless you're on a service ship. The water pressure would keep it sealed. You might have some little success on the surface but I'm doubtful.

When you on the surface it's be pot luck if anyone spots you as you'd be miniscule. You could use radar but it would still be a tiny target to discern from ocean clutter
 
escargot said:
Like I said: panic. We've all heard of airline passengers charging up and down aisles halfway through a flight trying to find a way off.

Even if the Titan passengers were calm when the trip started they'd soon get worried once things started going wrong.
Nobody could get out though, whether under the sea or on the surface.

Their best chance is probably floating to the top as @RaM suggests and being picked up by rescue craft.
They'd have to be found in good oxygen time though and then released from the craft under decompression conditions.
Not looking good.
Click to expand...

AFAIK these craft are not pressurised, just make of 3 inch thick titanium.
 
Titanium-carbon fibre, yes.

Previous subs were steel-titanium, 6 inches thick. The first sub to go down to the Titanic, Alvin, originally had a steel sphere which only allowed depths of 6000 feet. After a refit to include a titanium-steel sphere the depth was increased to some 13000 feet meaning the wreck was within its reach.
 
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