Friday, June 23, 2023

OceanGate's Titan: a tragic end

Headline:

No Survivors Aboard Missing Titanic Sub, Coast Guard Says

The five people aboard a missing submersible died in a "catastrophic" event, a Coast Guard official said on Thursday, bringing a grim end to the massive search for the vessel that was lost during a voyage to the Titanic.

"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans," OceanGate Expeditions said in a statement. "Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time."

An unmanned deep-sea robot deployed from a Canadian ship discovered the wreckage of the submersible on Thursday morning about 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the century-old wreck, 2-1/2 miles (4 km) below the surface, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said at a press conference.

"The debris is consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," Mauger said.

I think that's what a lot of us were thinking, and frankly, I think this was the "best" way to die: suddenly and catastrophically. Condolences to the families and other loved ones.



2 comments:

Charles said...

A tragedy, but an unnecessary one brought about by hubris and a casual disregard for safety.

Kevin Kim said...

No argument here. I'll be blogging James Cameron's reaction to this soon.