Improper containment or functional failure may have contributed to the Titan’s disaster

PAP: Titanic, which Titan was supposed to reach, rests at a depth of almost 4,000 meters. meters. Is that a lot for a boat of this type?

Dr. hab. Eng. Lech Rowiński: This is a very large depth for any type of vehicle.

PAP: Is the greatest threat the enormous pressure there, reaching almost 400 atmospheres?

LR: The pressure itself shouldn’t be a threat, because its effect on the boat can be checked beforehand. The pressure should not damage the bathyscaphe if it has been properly made. The greatest risk is associated with smoke, caused, for example, by an electrical short circuit.

PAP: Does the lack of contact with the boat indicate a communication problem – or the failures you mentioned?

LR: This device (boat – PAP) is largely a prototype. It is also difficult to say what safety stocks were introduced in it. However, I can’t imagine that the device could not float due to lack of communication. So it’s more likely a functional failure.

PAP: As for the crew of such a boat – what can the chances of survival depend on?

LR: When descending to such a depth, you must first of all take care of the possible rescue route. Most underwater vehicles have various types of protection. For example, heavy items that can be disposed of are thrown out first. At the end, you can usually free the cabin and it will float to the surface. Here the whole ship is a cabin, so there is no such possibility. That means exposure to risk.

It is worth recalling that once the Russians built a deep-sea (MIR) in two copies – so that in the event of a failure one could help the other. There was no such protection here. Another issue is oxygen supply. It is impossible to organize a rescue operation when there is only enough oxygen for 4 days. The supply should last for two weeks.

PAP: Why for so long?

LR: There are no ships with rescue devices waiting in the open ocean. It takes time to organize any rescue operation.

PAP: What could be the reasons for the limitations in boat construction you mentioned?

LR: Too delicate a vehicle was chosen, probably unsuited for such a mission. This may have been due to a desire to save money, but even then the approach was wrong. Well, the biggest costs are not related to the construction of the boat, but to many other elements of the expedition. It is necessary, for example, to send a ship to the middle of the ocean. Participants of the expedition pay terrible money to the organizers. So I think that in the case of such trips you should take better care of security. The life support system should be designed for a much longer operation, additionally, the boat should have other safety devices, such as life capsules.

PAP: If someone reached the boat on time – would it be possible to free the crew at this depth? Is it only possible to extract the “whole” boat?

LR: If the vehicle is really already at the target depth (about 3800 m – PAP editorial), then saving the crew alone is rather impossible. The United States has two devices that can rescue submarine crews, but they only work to a depth of 1,500 m. If the accident happened deeper, there would be no one to save anyway. In history, we know of only one case of reaching the crew underwater. This was done with the help of a remote-controlled vehicle, but at a significantly shallower depth. The maximum you can get is the whole boat.

PAP: Will it be hard to find?

LR: There are no large currents on site, although there are e.g. The Gulf Stream, and the cold deep-sea current flowing in the opposite direction, which could have moved her at several miles an hour. Searches are being carried out for with the help of planes and robots, but it takes time. Such a robot, hectare by hectare, has to comb the bottom, and they are not really adapted to traverse long distances. Finding the boat will help determine the cause of the accident.

PAP: Some say, however, that the boat could have sailed, only due to the large area it has not yet been found. Is it possible? She would certainly have devices, even radio, that would allow her to be quickly located.

LR: It was definitely equipped with such devices. She probably even had a satellite phone on board these days. It should also transmit signals locating it, and spill a large, perfectly visible, yellow spot on the water. The boat hardly left. (PAP)

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