Titan Destroyed by “Catastrophic Implosion”
Deepwater Horizon disaster(2010): The accident involved a submersible drilling rig. The Deepwater Horizon, located in the Gulf of Mexico, suffered a blowout and explosion, leading to one of the largest oil spills in history. The incident claimed the lives of 11 crew members and had devastating environmental consequences.
R/V Alvin Accident(2012): Alvin is a deep-sea submersible used for scientific research. While on a mission in the Gulf of Mexico, Alvin’s starboard personnel sphere flooded, causing the submersible to tilt. The crew managed to escape safely, but the incident resulted in significant damage to the submersible.
Costa Concordia Disaster(2012): The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground and partially sank near the island of Giglio, Italy. Thirty-two people lost their lives in the accident.
MV Sewol Disaster(2014): The South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsized and sank off the coast of Jindo Island, resulting in the loss of 304 lives, mostly high school students.
Sewol Ferry Collision(2018): A South Korean fishing boat collided with the ferry Sewol, which was being towed to a port for salvage. Seven people were killed in the collision.
Sinking of the Nautile(2019): The Nautile is a French research submersible. During a scientific expedition in the Mediterranean Sea, the submersible experienced a loss of electrical power, leaving the crew stranded for several hours before being rescued.
Two Submarine Accidents from the 1960s
We should also mention two accidents from the 1960s involving military submarines:
The Thresher, April 1963
The sinking of the USS Thresher (SSN-593) occurred on 10 April 1963. The USS Thresher was a United States Navy nuclear-powered submarine and was one of the first submarines of the Thresher class.
During a deep-diving test off the coast of Massachusetts, the Thresher experienced a catastrophic event and imploded, resulting in the loss of the entire crew of 129 sailors and civilians on board. The exact cause of the sinking was never conclusively determined, but it is believed that a mechanical failure or flooding in the submarine’s engine room led to the loss of control and subsequent descent beyond its maximum operating depth.
Dakar, January 1968
The sinking of the Israeli submarine Dakar occurred in 1968. The Dakar, a British-built submarine that was purchased by Israel, disappeared during its maiden voyage from the United Kingdom to Israel. The exact cause of the submarine’s sinking remained a mystery for many years until its wreckage was discovered in 1999.
On 9 January 1968, the Dakar departed from the British naval base in Plymouth, England, with a crew of 69 sailors on board. Its intended destination was the Israeli naval base in Haifa. The submarine never arrived at its destination and was declared missing. Extensive search operations were launched by Israel, the United States, and several other countries, but no trace of the Dakar was found at the time.
For more than three decades, the fate of the submarine remained a mystery. Various theories and speculations arose, including suggestions of technical failures, collisions, or attacks by foreign powers. In 1999, an American deep-sea exploration team discovered the wreck of the Dakar on the seabed of the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 3,000 meters below the surface, near the Greek island of Crete.
The discovery of the wreckage shed some light on the fate of the submarine, although many details remain uncertain. It is believed that the Dakar encountered a sudden and catastrophic event that caused it to sink rapidly. The exact cause of the sinking, however, has not been definitively determined.
