The Titan submersible that imploded in the Atlantic Ocean on June 18, 2023 while attempting to reach the wreck of the Titanic.
(OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)
Humour plays a role in our collective memory of historical events, especially disasters. Public reactions to the Titan’s implosion were reminiscent of comments that followed the sinking of the Titanic.
Novels about underwater adventures offer a glimpse at oceanic life.
fotograzia via Getty Images
Complex endeavours require complex risk management, and high-reliability organizations recognize this. OceanGate did not plan for the complexity of its operations, with tragic consequences.
Icebergs in Disko Bay, western Greenland.
Chris Christophersen/Shutterstock
The recent tragedy was an outlier; deep-diving submersibles have an outstanding safety record.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it is leading an investigation into the loss of the Titan submersible to determine what caused it to implode.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Advances in technology have allowed tourists to go to places and do things they couldn’t in the past. But in extreme environments, the consequences of failure are high.
Most submersible designers would elect to have a classification society certify a vessel’s design. OceanGate made the conscious decision to refuse to do this for the Titan.
The vessel Polar Prince towing OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessels from St. John’s, N.L., as it leaves to tour the Titanic wreck site on May 29, 2023.
(Shutterstock)
A team of rescuers has located debris from the Titan, indicating the end of search-and-rescue efforts. Risky undertakings need to assess the cost and capacity of any potential rescue needs.
25 years on from the release of James Cameron’s epic, Titanic, a film expert reflects on how the late-Nineties blockbuster explored the anxieties of the new Millennium.
A large iceberg passes near Ferryland, an hour south of St. John’s, Nfld., in April 2017.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly
The film based on Walter Lord’s 1955 account is much more accurate than James Cameron’s epic.
Tube worms, anemones and mussels clustered near a hydrothermal vent on the Galapagos Rift.
NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Galapagos Rift Expedition 2011/Flickr
Oceanographer Robert D. Ballard, who is best known for finding the wreck of Titanic, has written a memoir recounting his biggest discoveries and calling for more ocean exploration.
NOAA/Institute for Exploration/University of Rhode Island
When the USSR launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik 1 didn’t do much other than regularly “beep” over the radio. Yet, this simple sound is associated with the beginnings of space exploration.