Study of shipwreck could help us ‘learn from this tragedy,’ says expert
Knowing exactly what happened in the alleged Titan implosion could help us «learn from this tragedy,» said a former Coast Guard Reserve commander.
Armin Cate, a former commandant of the US Coast Guard Reserve and retired senior special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, said the mission Titan embarked on was very «like going to the moon.»
«The only difference is that on the moon you don’t have that kind of pressure,» he said. «The remoteness of this location combined with the water pressure, there are so many points of failure that could occur.»
«I think that’s why they’re trying to recover these objects so they can study them and be able to determine where the weak areas were, so that people can learn from this tragedy and make stronger, more capable vehicles in the future.» ,» he said.
Organization launched by King Charles pays tribute to Dawood
Prince’s Trust International, a charity founded by King Charles III, has paid tribute to Shahzada Dawood, who served as an adviser to the organization. Her father, Hussain, was also one of the founding backers of the trust.
“We are deeply saddened by this terrible news. Prince’s Trust International has had a long-standing relationship with Shahzada Dawood and her family, and we value their support of our work in Pakistan over many years,» the organization said. «Our thoughts are with Shahzada’s family and all those around board at this moment immensely tragic time».
Dawood had been an adviser to Prince’s Trust International in various capacities, including working on its Global Advisory Board, with a focus on the organization’s work in Pakistan, the group said.
Both he and his son, Suleman, were presumed dead in the submersible disaster.
Canadian assistance with ‘recovery and salvage’ under discussion
The «extent of Canadian assistance with recovery and salvage» was being discussed on Thursday, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center and the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement.
Offering «deepest condolences to the family and friends of the Titan crew on their tragic loss,» they said: «This is a truly unfortunate outcome that concludes great efforts and cooperation between countries, militaries, and partners.»
With the operation «transitioning to recovery and rescue,» they said «all JRCC rescue assets will return to base to regenerate search and rescue capability and prepare for future search and rescue events.»
Explorers may not have had ‘time to figure out what happened,’ expert says
The five people who died on Titan «may not have had time to realize what happened» if the submersible imploded as believed, an expert said.
If the vessel did implode, it probably would have «exploded inward in a matter of a millisecond,» Will Kohnen, chairman of the Marine Technology Society peer review group’s committee on manned submersibles, told Reuters.
«And it’s probably a mercy because it was probably a kinder ending than the incredibly difficult situation of being in a cold, dark, confined space for four days,» he said. «So this would have happened very quickly. I don’t think anyone had time to figure out what happened,» she said.
Photo: Titan search ships seen from space
Satellite images courtesy of Maxar Technologies show deep-sea recovery vessels searching for the OceanGate Titan submersible near the Titanic wreck site on Thursday.
From top: Canadian Horizon Arctic, Bahamian vessel Deep Energy, and Canadian-registered Skandi Vinland.
Friend of Rush describes the appeal of extreme adventures
It’s not for everyone, but for a certain type of adventurer, descending into the depths of the ocean in a small, cramped craft means «doing something extraordinary,» a friend of two of the people aboard the Titan submersible told NBC News Thursday. missing.
Per Wimmer, a self-described astronaut, adventurer, explorer, philanthropist, global financier, author, and private island owner, operates in those circles.
The 54-year-old Danish citizen said in a telephone interview that he is a friend of Stockton Rush, chief executive of OceanGate, the company that chartered the submersible, and British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, who were among the five aboard the ship.
Describing them as «adventurous», Wimmer said they tried to «test the limits» and «do something extraordinary».
Read the full story here.
Attention turns to determining what caused the ‘catastrophic implosion’
The day-long search for Titan has come to a devastating end as officials focus on what caused the «catastrophic implosion» that is believed to have killed all five people on board.
The US Coast Guard said Thursday that debris discovered in the search for the submarine was consistent with a catastrophic explosion. The debris was found on the bow of the sunken Titanic, authorities said.
An analysis of US Navy acoustic data «detected an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion» near Titan at the time it lost communications, a senior Navy official said. The sound was not definitive, but it was immediately shared with commanders, who decided to continue searching, the official said.