A civilian submersible attempting to explore the wreckage of the Titanic has gone missing in the North Atlantic. The submersible, known as Titan, belongs to OceanGate Expeditions and was launched from the research ship Polar Prince on Sunday morning for an expedition 12,500 feet below the surface. Unfortunately, contact was lost with Titan 45 minutes after its launch, and it has not been heard from since. A search began immediately, with the US Coast Guard using sonars to try to locate the sub below the surface and various aircraft scouring the surface itself. On Tuesday, it was reported that Titan had about 40 hours of air remaining. Early Wednesday morning, tapping sounds were recorded below the surface, suggesting that the submersible is stuck far below and that the five occupants are still alive.
However, even if the submersible is found on the sea floor, the extreme depth of the ocean in the area would be too much for the most advanced and capable nuclear-powered submarines of the United States Navy. While there are only a handful of submersibles on the planet that can withstand the pressure at such depths, the US Navy operates some of the most advanced and capable submarines ever to sail. The US Navy’s submarines are commonly divided into three operational categories: ballistic-missile subs, guided-missile subs, and attack subs. Each has unique capabilities and limitations, with Los Angeles-class vessels, Virginia-class subs, and Seawolf-class hunter-killers being among the most broadly capable submarines worldwide.
The OceanGate Expeditions Titan is believed to be stuck on the ocean floor approximately 12,500 feet down, far deeper than most crewed and uncrewed submersibles or submarines can go. However, while these subs may be capable of reaching a little deeper than has been reported, their maximum depths are unlikely to be significantly deeper than claimed. For instance, America’s Los Angeles-class attack submarines have a reported maximum operating depth of 650 feet, while the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines reportedly have a maximum depth of 800 feet. However, it is widely reported that they can reach far deeper before their hulls become compromised. Nonetheless, for the missing crew of the OceanGate Expeditions Titan, this means that even the Navy’s most capable nuclear submarines would literally implode at depths some 9,500 feet higher than the seafloor where the Titan went missing.
