Missing Submarine: Noises can be heard underwater as the search effort increases
Many ships that descend to the sunless depths of the sea for scientific research are rugged behemoths with proven engineering and a track record of safety.
But Titanthe company’s lost submarine OceanGate, is a technological maverick based on new concepts that differ from standard designs. Additionally, unlike most deep-sea craft, Titan has not undergone certification by a reputable marine group that does such licensing work for other craft, including one built by OceanGate that dives to shallower depths.
“It suggests they turned the corner,” said Bruce H. Robison, a senior marine biologist at California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute who has explored the ocean’s depths with more than a dozen different types of submersibles.
Alfred S. McLaren, a retired Navy submariner and emeritus president of the Explorers Club of New York City, agreed. “I’ve had three people ask me to take a dive on it,” he said of the lost submarine. “And I said, ‘Don’t do it.’ I wouldn’t do it again in a million years.”
When asked to respond to questions about Titan’s certification, an OceanGate spokesperson said in an email, “We are unable to provide any additional information at this time.”
As a class, submersibles go down for hours, not days or months, relying on a mothership for support, communications, crew sustenance, as well as sleeping berths and proper toilets.
Whether reliable old designs or innovative newer models, all craft face the crushing pressure of the abyss – level with the Titanic’s resting place, three tons per square centimeter. So they face strict requirements for risk avoidance, if not absolute assurance of crew and equipment safety.
Private craft – those used on superyachts, scout craft, tourist trips – are not formally regulated by any governmental or intergovernmental body. Nor do they meet the rigorous standards applied to deep-sea vessels used by the US Navy and other government agencies.
Still, the best private-class dive boats undergo extensive testing, certification, and rating for specific depths by organizations like Lloyd’s Register, a British company that specializes in assessing the quality of seaworthy equipment for the maritime industry. In the industry this is called classification.
Titan – the 22-foot long submarine that disappeared on Sunday while diving for the Titanic – is unlike most submarines in that the passenger hull is made of two very different materials. It is composed of a blend of carbon fiber and titanium, producing a craft that is significantly lighter than submersibles that are made primarily of steel or titanium, a lightweight, high-strength metal.
The dissimilar types of materials used in the craft’s hull construction “give rise to structural problems,” said Dr. McLaren, who dived to the Titanic twice on submarines. “They have different coefficients of expansion and compression, and that works against maintaining a watertight connection.”
On its website, the owner of the submarine, OceanGate, a private company in Everett, Washington, say the light weight of the ship and launch and recovery platform significantly reduced transportation and operating costs, making Titan “a more financially viable option for individuals interested in deep exploration.” Still, the passenger cost on the current Titanic dive was $250,000.
Titan’s new construction features also do not allow it to be certified, according to the company. OceanGate explains on its website that the unlicensed (which the industry deems unclassified or uncertified) status of the vessel reflects as a reflection of the vessel’s advanced technologies, rather than a sign of shortcuts or shortcomings that the could jeopardize safety.
“The vast majority of marine (and aviation) accidents result from operator error, not mechanical failure,” the company said. said on its website. “As a result, focusing only on classifying the vessel does not address operational risks. Maintaining a high level of operational safety requires constant, dedicated effort and a focused company culture – two things that OceanGate takes very seriously and are not judged during the rating.”
However, the company said one of its other submersibles has achieved safety certification. antipodes goes down 300 feet, a small fraction of the Titanic’s depth, which is about two and a half miles. Like Titan, it has been used for tourist diving. The certification was carried out by the United States Bureau of Shippinga marine industry giant based in Houston.
In an interview, Jennifer Mire, a spokesperson for the American Bureau of Shipping, said the company had not evaluated the larger submarine. “We have no connection with the Titan,” she said.
Explaining Titan’s lack of certification on its website, OceanGate said groups like Lloyd’s Register and the American Bureau of Shipping “often have multi-year approval cycles due to a lack of pre-existing standards, particularly in the case of many of OceanGate’s innovations, for example.” such as carbon fiber pressure vessels and a real-time hull health monitoring system.”
Dr. McLaren said the company’s reasoning was unconvincing and that the innovative nature of the craft made certification even more important. Knowing it wasn’t certified, he said, was enough to make him “run in the opposite direction.”
Triton submarinesan American company that makes innovative submersibles with transparent hulls to give passengers a bird’s-eye view of the abyss, vehicle certification is one of the company’s tenets.
“We are proud that every submarine delivered remains in active service and is certified to original design depth,” it reads. says on the company’s website. “Every Triton ever completed has passed the certification.”