Implosion 'like crushing a can of Coca-Cola,' ex-Coast Guard commander says
As investigators look for answers on what caused the apparent implosion, experts are weighing in on what might have unfolded.
"From my understanding, the submersible imploded. In other words, the force of the water was so strong that it blew the back and the front of the submersible off," said Armin Cate, a former Commander in the United States Coast Guard Reserve and retired Senior Special Agent with the Department of Homeland Security.
"When you crush that tube in the middle it’s like crushing a can of Coca-Cola you might say," Cate said.
He said that in such an incident, "bolts are going to come free. And so the fact that they found the front cap and the back and different parts of the bottom and the middle tube no longer was connected to them tells me that’s what happened."
"And it appears to me that both the front and the rear cap were blown out about the same time. So, it was a catastrophic failure due to the outside pressure of the water ... on the actual hull or the canned part of the submersible."
Study of wreck could help us 'learn from this tragedy,' expert says
Learning what exactly happened in the suspected implosion of the Titan could help us "learn from this tragedy," a former Coast Guard Reserve commander said.
Armin Cate, a former commander in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and retired senior special agent with the Department of Homeland Security said the mission the Titan embarked on was much "like going to the moon."
"The only difference is in the moon you don’t have that type of pressure," he said. "The remoteness of this location combined with the pressure of the water, there’s just so many points of failure that could occur."
"I think that’s why they’re trying to retrieve these objects so they can study them so they can determine you know where the weak areas were, so that people can learn from this tragedy and be able to make stronger more capable vehicles in the future," he said.
Organization launched by King Charles pays tribute to Dawood
Prince’s Trust International, a charitable organization founded by King Charles III, has paid tribute to Shahzada Dawood, who served as an adviser to the organization. His father, Hussain, was also one of the trust’s founding patrons.
“We are deeply saddened by this terrible news. Prince’s Trust International has had a longstanding relationship with Shahzada Dawood and his family, and we have valued their support of our work in Pakistan for many years," the organization said. "Our thoughts are with Shahzada’s family and all those on board at this immensely tragic time."
Dawood had been an advisor to Prince’s Trust International in various capacities, including work 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 Centre and the Canadian Armed Forces said in a statement.
Offering "sincere condolences to the family and friends of the crew of the Titan for their tragic loss," they said: "This is a truly unfortunate outcome that concludes the great efforts and cooperation between countries, militaries and partners."
With the operation "transitioning to recovery and salvage," they said that "all JRCC rescue assets will return to base to regenerate search and rescue capability and prepare for future search and rescue events."
Explorers might not have had 'time to realize what happened,' expert says
The five people who died on the Titan may not have "had the time to realize what happened" if the submersible imploded as believed, an expert said.
If the vessel did implode, it would likely have essentially "exploded inwards in a matter of a thousandth of a second," Will Kohnen, chairman of peer-review group Marine Technology Society’s committee on manned submersibles, told Reuters.
"And it’s probably a mercy because that was probably a kinder end than the unbelievably difficult situation of being four days in a cold, dark and confined space," he said. "So, this would have happened very quickly. I don’t think anybody even had the time to realize what happened," he said.
Photo: Titan search vessels 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: The 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 to the depths of the ocean inside a small and cramped vessel means “doing something extraordinary,” a friend of two of the people aboard the missing Titan submersible told NBC News Thursday.
Per Wimmer, who describes himself as an astronaut, adventurer, explorer, philanthropist, global financier, author and private island owner, operates in those circles.
The Danish national, 54, said in a telephone interview that he is friends with Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, the company that chartered the submersible, and British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, who were among the five aboard the vessel.
Describing them as “adventurers,” Wimmer said they tried to “test the boundaries” and “do something extraordinary.”