I’ve purposefully withheld comment on the story the submersible that was diving to the wreck of the RMS Titanic alone ever since the news broke on Sunday that contact had been lost with the Titan which was carrying crew of a pilot and four tourists to approximately 13,000 feet below the surface of the Atlantic.
Until we knew for certain the fate of the submersible and the crew, I’m sure I wasn’t alone hoping beyond reason that somehow this story would end with a miraculous happy ending.
That the oxygen supply reported to last approximately 96 hours after launch had worked and that the massive rescue and recovery effort involving planes, ships and remotely operated drones dropping enough sonobuoys to walk across and the noises rather like banging that was detected in a very noisy ocean would result in the triumphant return of the crew into the sunlight from the cold, dark depths.
It seemed out of order to go out of one’s way to dash the hopes of all who truly believed a happy ending was in the cards.
Those of us who have had more than a passing interest in the sea and the water and know of the extreme pressure in the coldest and deepest reaches of the ocean already suspected the news that was coming.
Now we know as of the final update from the Coast Guard that Occam’s Razor once again had it’s way with the truth of it with the loss of communication one hour and 45 minutes after the dive commenced ending in a catastrophic failure and implosion of the pressure vessel.
If there is anything to be truly thankful for, it is this…the crew not only likely didn’t suffer, they likely had no idea that the implosion was occurring before they were already granted a far more merciful death than slow asphyxiation in a dark and freezing submarine as the oxygen supply ran out and was replaced by carbon dioxide.
I realise that will be of little consolation to the families who are grieving but I do hope they find solace knowing that the crew was risking all in a very dark and unforgiving environment completely hostile to human life to see with their own eyes that which the rest of us could only dream of whilst looking at the pictures of the site.
I’m sure there will be recriminations aplenty to come and lawsuits beyond that with the briefings already about the Titan being build with off-the-shelf components and controlled by a game controller and not receiving a safety classification and certification from the Coast Guard or anyone else as these sorts of deep-sea diving submersibles are generally unregulated because they’re a relatively new class of submarine.
But for now, spare a thought for the families of the crew now lost at sea for eternity and for all who would dare to sail in Poseidon’s Realm.
Whilst you’re doing that, do keep in mind that whilst this is certainly the most sensational story owing to the fame of the RMS Titanic, it is not the only one in the current news cycle involving significant loss of life at sea.
Hundreds of refugees from the Middle East are missing and presumed drowned after an old fishing trawler they’d paid smugglers several thousand dollars a head for a berth aboard capsized in the Mediterranean with many of the victims trapped in the hold and unable to escape a hellish ride to their deaths to the deepest part of that sea. The stories from the survivors are only now starting to come out and more than a few of the crew are likely to find themselves answering charges in the prisoner’s dock.
All because these people felt that they’d find a better life in Europe from the war-torn countries and terrorism they were fleeing that it was worth risking their life on the open water in a dodgy vessel which ought to make one think for a moment how nasty the ring of Dante’s hell they were fleeing must really be.
The ocean can be a cold, capricious, and cruel mistress to those who dare to enter her realm.
The ocean doesn’t give a second thought to what your motivation might well have been whether it was exploring the depths, fleeing persecution, or just wandering about on a cruise ship’s deck where your biggest decision is whether you’re in the mood for a pina colada or a mai tai.
That is what the title is referring to…the seas are so vast and our ships are so small in comparison.
And it is the hope of all those who set sail that should their fate be sealed once the lines are singled up and cast away that their end may be swift and that their love for the family and friends they left behind endures long after they recede beneath the waves.