Professor pinpoints tiny flaw that may have caused Titanic submarine's implosion

13 July 2023 , 16:52

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Debris from the Titan submersible is unloaded at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St John's, Newfoundland (Image: AP)

An expert has pinpointed the possible cause behind the fatal implosion of the doomed Titan sub last month.

Five people including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush died after the vessel was ripped to pieces by the terrifying pressure deep below the waves.

Now an expert has pointed to possible structural defects among the causes of the “catastrophic implosion.”

Virginia Tech ocean engineering professor Stefano Brizzolara explained to the New York Post a defect in the sub's hull could have led to the tragedy.

He said: “It is difficult to say what caused the structural failure in this case, but any small material and geometric imperfection, misalignment of connection flanges, tightening torque of bolted connection may have started the structural collapse."

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The OceanGate sub being prepared for a descent (OceanGate Expeditions/AFP via Ge)

Formal investigations are ongoing to try and explain the catastrophic failure of the vessel.

The cub's hull was made from two different materials - carbon fiber-reinforced plastic and titanium.

Mr Brizzolara said the carbon fiber element is “very prone to possible defects” and that it “exhibits a more fragile behaviour” than other materials.

This means that when it fails it can shatter.

He also suggested that repeat voyages down to the Titanic wreck could have caused the hull to "deform."

He explained: “These repeated deformation cycles may have started some material defects in the [carbon reinforced plastic] or some permanent deformations or misalignment between the two parts of the hull that were built with two different materials, which deform in a different way."

The five passengers killed. Clockwise from top left - Hamish Harding, Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood and Paul-Henri Nargeolet (Dirty Dozen Productions/OceanGat)

Experts have said the passengers on board would have likely been lkilled instantly.

OceanGate's Titan submersible lost contact with the mother ship, Polar Prince, on Sunday, June 18, during a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic, which lies 12,500 feet below the ocean's surface.

A huge multiagency search effort was launched, as the clock ticked down with people worrying about how much oxygen the five on board had left.

Days later, debris from the sub was recovered. It was then revealed the sub had suffered a "catastrophic implosion" killing its five passengers - OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, 58, French submersible pilot and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and father and son Shahzada, 48, and Suleman Dawood, 19.

Long-lost floor plan of the Titanic that was saved by survivor on doomed ship

10 days after communication was lost, human remains were recovered from the wreckage of the Titan sub which was brought ashore in St John's, Newfoundland. Experts have shared what the final moments of those on board may have been, saying it "would be like a horror movie".

Spanish engineer and underwater expert José Luis Martín said he believed the five passengers would have rushed on top of each other after feeling "horror, fear and anxiety" in their final moments.

He said: "Everyone rushes and crowds on top of each other. Imagine the horror, the fear, and the agony. It had to be like a horror movie.

"In that period of time, they are realising everything. And what's more, in complete darkness. It's difficult to get an idea of what they experienced in those moments."

Charlie Jones