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Was the OceanGate Titan Submersible an Accident Waiting to Happen?

Dr. Munr Kazmir
5 min readJun 21, 2023

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The tragedy of the RMS Titanic may be getting a new chapter: A submersible exploring the wreck has gone missing with all hands.

The bow of the Titanic. June 26, 2019. (Photo: Photo by NOAA on Unsplash)

The sinking of the RMS Titanic is one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history. It occurred on the night of April 14–15, 1912. The Titanic was a British passenger liner on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, USA.

The Titanic was considered to be unsinkable due to its advanced design and numerous safety features. However, tragedy struck when the ship collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean. The iceberg tore open several compartments in the hull, causing the ship to flood.

As the ship began taking on water, distress signals were sent out to nearby vessels. The closest ship to respond was the RMS Carpathia — several hours away. As the situation became increasingly dire, lifeboats were launched to evacuate the passengers and crew. However, the Titanic did not have enough lifeboats to accommodate everyone on board, which proved to be a significant factor in the loss of life.

As the Titanic gradually sank, it tilted more and more, causing chaos and panic among those still on board. The ship’s lights went out, plunging the vessel into darkness and adding to the confusion.

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