An expert has suggested that the OceanGate Titan submersible might have become damaged as it was dragged out to the dive site by another ship.
As you will know, the OceanGate sub was aiming to dive down to the wreck of the Titanic when it suffered a ‘catastrophic implosion’ resulting in the death of all five people on board.
Those people were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, and British billionaire Hamish Harding.
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The submersible was made from carbon fibre, which has raised concerns among experts, some even commenting on the experimental nature of the craft before it suffer the fatal implosion.
What’s more, the shape of the sub has raised concerns as well, with some suggesting that the decision to opt for a pill-shaped sub rather than a more traditional sphere was based on the number of passengers that could be taken rather than safety.
Now, another expert has suggested that the submersible could have suffered some damage in rough seas as it was dragged behind the mothership on a platform to the dive site.
The Titan did not have a designated mothership, meaning that a chartered boat called the Polar Prince took them to the dive site from Newfoundland.
One previous occupant of the craft was Travel Weekly editor Arnie Weissman, who went down in the Titan in May after it was again towed to the site behind the Polar Prince.
In a column, he said: "I thought the sub and platform were being tossed around pretty roughly.
"At the end of the rope that linked the stern of the ship to the platform, we saw that the front of the platform and the sub were underwater."
He also claimed that when he relayed his concerns to Rush, he responded: "So a sub is underwater.
“Why is that a problem?"
Since the sub was destroyed, many concerns have come to light, including past worries about building the experimental sub out of carbon fibre.
Jasper Graham-Jones, associate professor of mechanical and marine engineering at the University of Plymouth, told the Mirror: "Yes, composites are extremely tough.
“Yes, composites are extremely long-lasting.
“But we do have issues with composites and the fact that composites fail in slightly different ways than other materials.
"Furthermore, the Titan's 5-inch thick hull had been subjected to repeated stress over the course of about two dozen previous dives."
Experts have also raised concerns about why the Titan was not classified and had never been inspected by an independent testing body.
So far, OceanGate has refused to comment on the disaster, and its website has been removed and replaced with a message that states: "OceanGate Expeditions has suspended all exploration and commercial operations.”
Tom Wood