# Titanic tourist submarine missing 6-19-2023 (Debris field found, passengers presumed dead. 06-22-23) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [June 19, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781 "2023-06-19T16:29:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 33
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/641 "2023-06-23T17:19:08Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > There’s an entire ecosystem that feeds on whatever falls down to the seabed after death. 🎶_You’re flying across the ocean When you hear your engines spit You see a prop come to a stop The goddamn engine’s quit The ship won’t float, you cannot swim The shore is miles behind You’ll be a dish for happy fish But you will never mind_🎶 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/642 "2023-06-23T17:50:17Z")
We should not let the media off this easily. No, I don’t think they were covering for Hunter Biden - that’s stupid. But they have a habit of finding sensationalism to drive stories where it isn’t warranted. “Sub accident kills five people” is a half day story at best, and probably doesn’t drive a lot of eyeballs to media sites. “Sub Missing! Five people aboard, search and rescue alerted!” Is a story that can (and did) drive the media cycle for days. I just did a search, and almost every media site reported the noise the Navy reported as ‘banging sounds’ instead of ‘an implosion, or large bang was heard’. The difference is ‘banging sounds’ implies people alive banging on the inside to be heard, and ‘large bang’ means they are dead. The other possibiity is that whoever originally reported this is too stupid to understand what the Navy said. These days with the media, stupidity is always a possibility. But my money is that some editor changed the report to ‘banging sounds’ to keep the story alive, and once one source did it, the rest followed suit for the same reason. It’s inexcusable, and the first person who changed the description of an implosion into ‘banging sounds’ should be fired and never work in media again. Once again, terrible reporting led the world to waste several days of attention on something that wasn’t even true (survivors hoping to be rescued). Shame on them. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/643 "2023-06-23T17:53:46Z")
I think the banging sounds are separate from the implosion sound. A plane first detected the banging sounds, and that was announced within a few hours of detection. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/644 "2023-06-23T17:54:04Z")
I don’t think that anyone confused the “banging sounds” with the possible sound of the implosion. These were independent events, detected and reported independently. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/645 "2023-06-23T17:55:50Z")
I think you’re confusing two different things, Sam. My recollection is that the first report of banging sounds said that it came from some of the sonar equipment dropped by one of the Canadian search planes, but with the caution that the ocean is a noisy place. The first mention of the USN detecting a possible implosion was only made public a few days later, probably, as indicated above by some posters, to avoid giving out just how much info the USN system can pick up, and how quickly. ETA: yes, this Guardian article says that the banging sounds were picked up by a Canadian search plane, after the search began, with the caution that the noises were inconclusive: > [@](#): > > Search teams in the Atlantic trying to locate the missing Titan submersible said they were still hearing underwater “noises” on Wednesday, but added that the sounds were “inconclusive” and not confirmation the crew was still alive. > > A US Coast Guard captain, Jamie Frederick, told a lunchtime briefing “several flights” of Canadian P3 aircraft had heard the noises, reported by several media outlets as “banging”, on Tuesday and Wednesday, and that the focus of the search was relocated to that area. So, not an editorial decision by the news media. > **[Titanic sub search team still hearing underwater noises, says US Coast Guard](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/21/titanic-sub-search-underwater-noises-picked-up-by-canadian-plane-us-coast-guard-says)** > > Sounds are ‘inconclusive’, says US Coast Guard captain, but focus of search relocated to that area ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/646 "2023-06-23T18:04:32Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t know how any legal issues will work out. I think you should be able to wave liability if you want to risk you life traveling to the bottom of the ocean, and if you are an adult. Yes, but the question of a waiver normally includes two things: 1. Has there been full disclosure of the risk? 2. There are limits to the ability to waive gross negligence or criminal negligence that poses a real risk to life. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/647 "2023-06-23T18:13:23Z")
Yeah, it appears these are two different events. Thanks for the correction. From the Guardian: > [@](#): > > ## **If the underwater implosion was heard on Sunday, why are we only learning about it now?** > > The information was handed to the US Coast Guard immediately, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Yet it was decided to continue the search and rescue operation to “make every effort to save the lives onboard”, the US navy said. > > The key to the decision-making is probably in the details. First, the rescue operation: analysts could not be 100% sure that what they detected was Titan’s implosion. If there was a chance lives could be saved, it was important to try everything possible. > > Second, the delay in revealing the information. The US navy, according to the WSJ, wanted to keep its sub detection capabilities secret. This possibly explains why nothing was initially said publicly – and why there were few details about exactly what was detected and how. > **[Titan submersible: why was its implosion not announced sooner?](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/23/titan-submersible-why-implosion-not-announced-sooner)** > > Key questions about the circumstances surrounding the loss of the underwater craft and the search and rescue operation Still not clear if the Coast Guard informed the media or not. But either way, I can understand witholding “they are dead” information while there’s an active search and rescue going on just in case. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/648 "2023-06-23T18:29:07Z")
I thought it was established that the banging noise was a Group of Orcas with pots and pans… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/649 "2023-06-23T18:33:13Z")
Excellent post. The gameboy controller, whatever else it is, functions perfectly here as a symbol of tech-bro hubris. That, for me, aside from the human horror, is what this story’s been all about. ETA: > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > “Sub accident kills five people” is a half day story at best, and probably doesn’t drive a lot of eyeballs to media sites. > > “Sub Missing! Five people aboard, search and rescue alerted!” Is a story that can (and did) drive the media cycle for days. Yeah, it’s a little suspicious that they announced that the search had ended at just about the same moment the oxygen would have run out. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/650 "2023-06-23T18:36:22Z")
You don’t stop a search based on an unknown noise that might have been an implosion. There was little reason to hope these people would survive but look at those kids stranded in the jungle and the kids stuck in a flooded cave in Thailand that survived when there was little reason to think they would. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/651 "2023-06-23T18:48:21Z")
> [@Briny\_Deep](#): > > Yeah, it’s a little suspicious that they announced that the search had ended at just about the same moment the oxygen would have run out. No, the search ended at just about the same moment that the wreckage of the sub was located. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/652 "2023-06-23T19:10:33Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > I feel awful for the kid. He did not deserve to be dragged down there to his death. > [@Sylvanz](#): > > The teen did not want to go by the stories I’ve seen. Hell the kid wasn’t old enough to drink. The kid, Suleman, is the only one I feel sorry for. Apparently, according to an aunt, he was terrified, but his dad bullied him into going. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/653 "2023-06-23T19:13:23Z")
Though, he actually was old enough to legally drink. Drinking age in the UK is 18 ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/654 "2023-06-23T19:15:01Z")
I’ve seen several statements in articles and interviews where the submersible was “tested” to a certain depth, or it was “rated” to a certain depth. I also seem to recall that the device was “cycled” many times to check for weaknesses. Is there a big test tank somewhere that simulates water pressure at these depths? If so, it sounds vaguely terrifying to work around. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/656 "2023-06-23T19:30:27Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > No, the search ended at just about the same moment that the wreckage of the sub was located. It’s always in the last place you look. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/657 "2023-06-23T19:42:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > > > I’ve scrolled through the whole thread to see if anyone else commented about this; > > Post 574 by @Cervaise. An in-thread search for “xbox” or “periscope” finds it immediately But you have a funner cite with pix. 😉 Thanks. But yeah, I quoted @Cervaise’s post in mine. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/658 "2023-06-23T19:57:15Z")
No. James Cameron rejected the product because there was no way to evaluate it. They relied on acoustic sensors detecting minute failures within the composite tube that would indicate problems from cycling it through pressure changes. In this final dive they may have heard the sounds of the composite breaking and delaminating briefly before their fortunately instantaneous death. They could have physically tested it with repeated unmanned dives. I don’t understand why they didn’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/659 "2023-06-23T20:08:53Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > They could have physically tested it with repeated unmanned dives. I don’t understand why they didn’t do that. It was tested from 2018-2019 and it had survived the tourist dives on 13 previous occasions from 2021-2022. But it also had to rebuilt after showing signs of fatigue damage previous to this in 2020 after all of those test dives. I assume, based on not a lot admittedly, that this is the most likely reason it popped this time. ---
**Author:** ![pyromyte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d26b3c/32.png) [@pyromyte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pyromyte)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/660 "2023-06-23T20:16:47Z")
In regard to the US Navy hearing the implosion. I almost wondered if they didn’t… I think it’s possible that the Navy didn’t hear squat. Then after the Coast Guard found the debris field, and it was obvious that Titan had imploded, the navy had to act like, of course they heard it. They couldn’t let Russia or other enemies know they hadn’t heard something like that. Coast Guard: “We found a debris field consistent with an implosion and have positively identified the wreckage as that of the Titan’s” Navy: “uhhh, yeah, of course, sure, as a matter of fact, we heard an implosion sound back on Sunday on our super sophisticated underwater microphone array that stretches to every corner of the ocean that hears every fish fart from 100 miles away… We informed the Coast Guard immediately, Isn’t that right, Coast Guard, we let you know back on Sunday, didn’t we… that we heard that noise and told you where to look, right. Remember when we told you that?” _wink, wink, nudge nudge_ Coast Guard: _big sigh_ “sure, yep. that’s right. Thank goodness for the US Navy!” ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781/661 "2023-06-23T20:18:35Z")
That is conspiratorial thinking, completely unsupported by facts or logic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781.md?page=32) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titanic-tourist-submarine-missing-6-19-2023-debris-field-found-passengers-presumed-dead-06-22-23/985781.md?page=34)