Titan submersible tragedy: What debris was found, and what are implosions?

US Coast Guards have stated that debris field found near the Titanic site indicates that the submersible that went missing on Sunday may have imploded on its descent to the historic site.

The breakthrough came on Thursday, June 22, as round-the-clock efforts were being made to locate the missing vessel, hoping to rescue its five passengers as oxygen levels ran out. However, the US Coast Guard said the passengers died due to a "catastrophic implosion."

The debris field was discovered near the Titanic, approximately 1,600 feet from the ship's bow on the seafloor, as revealed by Rear Adm John Mauger during a press conference.

The exact timing of the implosion is yet to be determined, as the submersible went missing eight hours after losing contact with its surface ship. The search efforts involving sonar buoys have not detected any signs of catastrophic failure prior to the implosion.

What debris was found?

By definition, debris refers to scattered fragments or remnants resulting from the destruction or disintegration of an object.

In this context, the debris found near the Titanic wreckage site is consistent with the "catastrophic implosion" of the submersible's pressure chamber. According to the US Coast Guard, these fragments are the remnants of the submersible that collapsed and disintegrated during the implosion.

According to a report by NBC New York, the initial discovery was made by a remotely operated vehicle or ROV from the vessel Horizon Arctic. The ROV found the tailbone of the Titan submersible. Further examination of additional debris pointed to a loss of the pressure chamber. The families of the five crew members on board were notified of the findings.

What is an implosion? How Is it different from an explosion?

An implosion refers to the collapse of an object inwardly, occurring when the external pressure surpasses the internal pressure. A violent inward burst causes the object to collapse or squeeze in on itself. This collapse is driven by external forces, such as the pressure exerted on the vessel.

Aileen Maria Marty, a former Naval officer and professor at Florida International University, told CNN that "catastrophic implosions" are incredibly quick and can occur in milliseconds. Marty added that the implosion would have taken place before any warning signals could go up, and as far as deaths go, this would have been "painless."

According to Scientific American, if the submersible was near the Titanic, it would have experienced a pressure "higher than that of a great white shark bite." To combat this form of pressure, the report added that most submersibles are designed to be spherical, while the Titan was cylindrical.

In contrast, an explosion occurs when pressure builds up inside an object, causing it to burst outward. Implosions concentrate and minimise the volume occupied by the collapsing object, often resulting in the ejection of smaller parts as the larger parts collapse.

Where did the submersible implode?

During the press conference, as reported by NBC NY, the Director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Systems Laboratory, Carl Hartsfield, stated that the debris found was "consistent with the location of an implosion in the water column."

The water column refers to the entire area between the water's surface and the ocean floor. Therefore, the submersible could have imploded at any point after it began its descent on Sunday. It never touched the seafloor.