Faulty engineering was to blame for the catastrophic implosion of the experimental Titan submersible, which killed five people en route to the wreck of the Titanic, this according to a report released on October 15 by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
In its final report on the June 2023 disaster, the NTSB concluded that the Titan’s carbon fiber composite hull contained multiple structural flaws and did not meet essential strength and durability standards. The submersible imploded in the North Atlantic during its descent, killing everyone on board instantly.
The investigation also found that OceanGate, the company behind Titan, failed to conduct sufficient testing and did not fully understand the vessel’s structural limits.
A submarine is any naval vessel that is capable of propelling itself beneath the water as well as on the water's surface. First devised as a watercraft in the 19th century, the submarine was quickly adopted by navies around the world for attack and defensive purposes. But a submarine is an inherently dangerous environment to live and work in, and when something goes wrong the likelihood of escape is very limited.
Click through this gallery to explore some of history’s most catastrophic submarine disasters.