Candid Comment - Titanic Claims 5 More Lives

Hours after the submersible Titan descended to explore the wreck of the Titanic, the ship lost contact with the surface, and a frantic search began. Yesterday the search effort came to a stretching halt at a debris site, and it became clear that the Titan had a structural failure that instantly killed its five passengers. First, condolences are to be extended to the families of the deceased crew. This is a tragic end to what should have been an event of a lifetime for the men who ventured to the site of the Titanic wreck. Instead, it will be remembered as a mission that ended with deadly speed in what appears to be a sudden failure of the hull.

Reports suggest that this was more than just a lets go down and look at the Titanic trip. The crew went down to the site to run experiments and explore the wreck, as has been done in the past. However, in this case, something went very wrong. The team never actually got to the wreck of the Titanic.

So what happens now? An investigation of the accident would be in order here. There have been suggestions of design flaws and other instances of lost communication with the surface. James Cameron, a filmmaker and deep sea diver himself, has commented on the tragedy. In his summation, he points out that since the 60s, there has not been an accident like this and that the design of the Titan may be to blame. Actor William Shatner flew to space. He knew the risks and also had an expectation of what it would be like in space. It was not what he expected.

When I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold . . . all I saw was death.

I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing. I turned back toward the light of home. I could see the curvature of Earth, the beige of the desert, the white of the clouds and the blue of the sky. It was life. Nurturing, sustaining, life. Mother Earth. Gaia. And I was leaving her.

Everything I had thought was wrong. Everything I had expected to see was wrong. - William Shatner.

Diving into the depths has the same effect. It's dark, cold, and dangerous. Just like rockets, the ships that go beneath the waters need to be durable, and the materials used to build them need to be tested for safety not just at one time but regularly to ensure that there are no hidden faults. Aircraft, for example, are routinely inspected for structural integrity, and maintenance is a regular occurrence. There is a gold certification standard in the submersible community, and when followed, the procedures are used to ensure safe and sound work. Accidents can happen even with tests and certifications, but, in this case, the testing may have been less than robust, and the Titan may not have been certified to dive as deep as it did.  

There is an old expression. Curiosity killed the cat. But resurrection brought it back. It means that being curious can be dangerous, and taking a risk unnecessarily is not good. A good result is enough satisfaction to take the risk or repeated risks. 

Exploring a graveyard, which is what the Titanic is, is risky. While there may be some value in the venture, going to the wreck of the Titanic should be rare, for scientific research only and done using state-of-the-art equipment. In general, the resting place of some 1500 people should be left alone untouched and visited, as noted above, very rarely and only by a select few and family of those who died aboard her. Nature
, in this case, water has sent a message. That message is, leave us alone. That is what we should do with the Titanic.