Ever since Titan went missing on Sunday, there has been no indication as to what could possibly have gone wrong.
The submersible last ‘pinged’ while directly above the wreck, an hour and 45 minutes into a two-hour descent.
As there is no way of communicating with the sub, it is left to experts to predict what may have occurred.
Table of Contents
Scenario 1: Power blackout
Associate Professor Eric Fusil, director of the shipbuilding hub at the University of Adelaide, said Titan ran on batteries and a loss of power means a loss of communications.
‘It is unclear if power back-ups are on the Titan,’ he said.
As there is no way of communicating with the sub, it is left to experts to predict what may have occurred
‘This is why some submersibles have two sources of energy – electrical and other such as compressed air or hydraulic – to power safety systems.’
Scenario 2: A fire
If any on-board electricals short-circuited, there’s the possibility a fire could have occurred. This could ruin the submarine communication systems and create toxic fumes for the passengers.
‘Another possibility is that there may have been a fire, such as from an electrical short circuit,’ Professor Stefan Williams, from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney, wrote on The Conversation website.
‘This could compromise the vehicle’s electronic systems which are used for navigation and control of the vessel.’
Scenario 3: Leak/implosion
Submersibles face increasing pressure the deeper they dive, and even a small leak could be catastrophic. ‘At 4,000 metres, that is the equivalent of more than 4,000 tons applied on an area the size of one square metre,’ Mr Fusil said.
‘Titan has a composite hull with inbuilt sensors that can withstand such pressure, but it requires a very accurate round shape. Any out-of-circularity defect could result in a near-instantaneous implosion.’
Even a small leak could be catastrophic for any submersible due to the overwhelming pressure they face as they dive
Adventurer G Michael Harris, who has visited the Titanic wreck several times, said: ‘Worst situation is something happened to the hull and our fear is that it imploded at around 3,200m,’ he told Fox News.
‘More people have been to outer space than to this depth of the ocean. You have to do everything perfectly. Throw in a bunch of tourists in a new sub, which was just created in the last couple of years – it’s not looking good.’
Scenario 4: It’s on the surface
It is possible that Titan rose back to the surface but has failed to communicate with the support ship.
Search teams are scouring the area but Dr Simon Boxall, an Oceanographer at the University of Southampton, told BBC News. ‘If it’s at the surface it’s likely there would have been contact.’
Scenario 5: Stuck in wreckage
Strong underwater currents could have pushed the sub too close to the Titanic, where it may have become entangled or stuck.
Footage shared by ex-TV journalist Dr Michael Guillen, who visited the wreck in 2000 and he worked as science editor at ABC news, shows how his vessel was caught in a strong current that pushed it towards the Titanic’s 21-ton propellers.
After becoming wedged under the stern, the crew tried to reverse out – at which point a bang was heard as chunks of debris were seen. The crew later managed to free the vessel.
The Titan mini-submarine may have become stuck in the wreckage of the RMS Titanic that the passengers on board initially set out to see
What could conditions be like for the passengers?
‘It’s going to be cramped. There’s no other facilities there, except a toilet,’ Dr Boxall said.
‘The main thing is people are going to be very, very worried.
There is no escape pod – if you came into the water at those depths you’d be crushed, so they are reliant on the submersible being found, and the difficult task of recovering it.’
If it is intact, those onboard will be facing dwindling oxygen levels and fighting the cold, David Gallo of Strategic Initiatives, RMS Titanic, which owns the salvage rights to the Titanic wreck site, told CNN.
Can the submarine be found before time runs out?
‘It’s a tough search,’ Dr Jamie Pringle, reader in forensic geosciences at Keele University, told the Mail: ‘24-hours from when first reported missing are the golden hours, statistically. The longer the time elapses, the less chance anyone is found alive.
‘Both the search area position, water depth, strong water currents and small sub size will be challenging for sonar to find, especially near the bottom and potentially hidden in the ocean floor.
Tim Maltin, an author, historian and TV presenter, said the tourists were in a difficult situation. ‘If it’s near the Titanic it would be easier to find, but the problem is, of course, you can’t do a ship-to-ship transfer even, the pressure is absolutely intense,’ he told BBC Breakfast.
‘It’s nearly two miles down, it’s pitch black. So I also am very, very worried about the souls who are on board.’
