The search for a missing submersible with five people aboard took a bleak turn Thursday when the U.S. Coast Guard said a debris field was found at the bottom of the ocean near the Titanic, an announcement that came after the critical 96-hour mark when breathable air could have run out.
The Coast Guard’s post on Twitter gave no details, such as whether officials believe the debris is connected to the Titan, which was on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic. It said the debris was discovered within the search area by a remotely operated underwater robot, and was being evaluated.
There have been two wars fought with German U-Boats in the North Atlantic, not to mention all of the other ships lost due to fires, storms and collisions with icebergs, so the discovery of a debris field, by iteslf, isn't remarkable.
Unless they can see what kind of debris it is.
There are environments where the Silicon Valley mindset of "move fast and break things" gets people killed. The sky and the sea are two of them. Neither are forgiving of folly, and that's before one goes into the extreme realms of either one. Disregarding the experts comes at a costs.
The RMS Titantic has claimed five more lives. Going that deep into the ocean to view a wreck for basically shits and giggles is stupid. After Ballard found it and photographed the wreckage nearly forty years ago, every other trip down there has been an exercise in applied lunacy. (Sort of like the idiots who have died diving on the wreck of the SS Andrea Doria.)
It would have been split-second quick.
ReplyDeleteAt least two pieces have been identified as part of the craft.
ReplyDeleteThe company is saying they are all dead, and there was this from CNN:
ReplyDelete"The tail cone and other debris from the missing submersible were found by a remotely operated vehicle about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic, which rests about 13,000 feet deep in the North Atlantic Ocean."
-Doug in Sugar Pine
"Florida Man builds sub to see the wreck of the Titanic."
ReplyDeleteUsing the outside view, the two leading candidates were catastrophic failure or stuck in the wreckage. Bobbing on the surface could be true, but highly unlikely. LOS is consistent with option one, but not definitive. The US media mostly did a human interest story until late in the game. I'm open to views on that...
ReplyDeleteUS Navy detected sounds on Sunday evening that may have been Titan imploding. According to reports, they forwarded this information to the Coast Guard which helped to narrow the search area.
ReplyDeleteDale