The passengers of the submarine “Titan” probably fell on top of each other in the last minutes before the explosion.
The investigation into the causes of the tragedy that occurred with the Ocean Gate submersible is still underway, but some conclusions can already be drawn from the known data. Submarine expert José Luis Martin told the Daily Mirror that the five victims probably lost their balance in their final moments and could have fallen on top of each other.
According to the expert, the Titan submersible fell “vertically like an arrow” and “became uncontrollable” at a depth of at least 900 meters. He also noted that the submarine’s explosion could probably be compared to a “balloon puncture”.
According to the calculations of the Spanish engineer, the passengers knew about their fate for approximately 48 to 71 seconds.
“The submersible descended without incident and in a horizontal plane until it reached a depth of about 1,700 meters. At that moment, there was a power failure, the engine stalled. That’s when he lost contact with the Polar Prince,” he told Nius.
Questions remain as to why the ship’s personnel waited several hours after the ship lost contact to contact rescuers.
Martin continued: “Titan” changed position and fell vertically, like an arrow, because 400 kilograms of the total weight of all passengers who were in the porthole, compressed the submarine. Most likely, they all rushed in one direction and crowded on top of each other. Imagine the horror, fear, and agony reigning in the darkness of a tiny space. It must have been like a horror movie.”
According to the expert’s calculations, in the depths of the ocean, the strong hull of the submarine was subjected to a sudden increase in pressure. And then there was a strong compression of the apparatus, in which there were tourists and the pilot:
“During this period, they became aware of everything. And in complete darkness. It is difficult to understand what they experienced in those moments. After those 48 seconds or one minute, there was an explosion, followed by instant death,” the former chief engineer concluded.
Recall that the bathyscaphe with five tourists disappeared in the Atlantic on June 18. On June 22, a message was received that oxygen had run out inside the submersible. Later, the wreckage was found in the bathyscaphe search area.