The mystery of how the Titan submarine sank while traveling to the Titanic two years ago has finally been solved. In a final report released by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last week, the Titan sank because the carbon fiber layer used in the submarine's hull failed at a depth of 3363 meters (11,033 feet) at a pressure of 3,866,883 kg/m2 (5,500 PSI). At this pressure, the entire submarine was destroyed in less than 20 milliseconds.
Five of the Titan's crew, including OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, died instantly. Only pieces of the passengers' flesh were found by a team tasked with collecting debris from the seabed.
The NTSB blamed OceanGate for continuing to take tourists to the Titanic even though damage to the carbon fiber had been detected by the Titan's safety system on eight previous dives before the accident. The Titan's acoustic charging system consists of sound sensors in several areas of the Titan's hull. When the carbon fiber begins to crack or break, the sensors will detect it immediately. When this damage was discovered, the hull should have been replaced immediately.
But because OceanGate was running out of funds to continue operations and had already taken payments from several tourists, several missions to the Titanic continued while it waited for the moment to be destroyed. This finally happened on June 18, 2923.
OceanGate is now facing lawsuits from the families of the victims and several engineers who were fired by Stockton Rush for warning that the Titanic was no longer safe to use.
