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The “Titan” and other disappeared submarines
The missing submarine is causing a worldwide sensation. It’s not the first time a submarine has run into trouble. But there is one difference.
Five “Titanic” fans want to dive aboard the small submarine “Titan” to the famous wreck. But after about an hour and 45 minutes, contact with them is lost. There have been a few cases of missing submarines in the past, but these were naval operations and not tourist attractions. A selection:
Drama off Bali: In April 2021, an Indonesian Navy submarine with 53 sailors on board sank about 95 kilometers off the holiday island. The rescue comes too late for her: four days later the wreck is discovered at a depth of 800 meters, broken into three parts.
Lost in the South Atlantic: It takes a whole year for a search party to discover the missing Argentine Navy submarine off the Patagonian coast. Before the boat disappeared with 44 sailors in November 2017, it was in poor condition, according to a 2019 commission of inquiry final report. Accordingly, there had been more than 30 malfunctions or technical failures on the ship before the mission was authorized.
Happiness at a depth of 170 meters: In August 2005, seven Russian sailors were rescued. A British diving robot with cutting tools freed them after they were stuck in the small submersible for more than three days at a depth of more than 170 meters off Kamchatka.
Farewell catastrophe: In August 2000, torpedoes from the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk exploded in the Barents Sea. In a spectacular action, divers try to free the 118 people at a depth of 108 meters – in vain. Farewell letters from the soldiers found later prove that several men were initially still alive.