AllYouCanTech

If you haven’t been living in isolation, you’ve likely heard about the OceanGate submersible that tried to dive to the Titanic in 2023 but didn’t come back. The reality is far more severe than most people understand. Many believe that submersible accidents entail water gradually leaking in, but in the case of an implosion? It’s an entirely different scenario. To illustrate, we experience roughly 15 PSI of pressure at sea level. However, at the depth the Titan was aiming for, nearly 13,000 feet down, the pressure exceeds 6,000 PSI.

Although submarines are constructed to withstand extreme pressure, they are also exceedingly delicate. Any minor deviation in the manufacturing process, a minuscule layer of fiber that hasn’t properly adhered, or a single bolt subjected to excessive stress – and it’s basically over. With even a minute allowance, water can rush into a submersible at speeds exceeding 1,500 miles per hour. This results in such violent compression of the air inside that it leads to a tremendous release of heat and energy. The hull collapses inwards — akin to crushing an empty can with your hand. As underwater robotics specialist Michael Brannigan remarked to Belfast News Letter at the time, “I’d probably say they didn’t even see it coming.”