Page 36 - 2024 March April Magazine

TITAN'S LAST TRIP
Assumption of Risk in the Abyss
PART TWO
From published accounts, it appears that Titan had arrested its descent by dropping its ballast when it
was within 1500 feet of the bow of the Titanic. Pilot Stockton Rush would not likely have scrubbed the mission that close to the goal and begun ascending
to the surface unless there was a serious problem that required it. Titan imploded and everyone inside was vaporized within one to forty milliseconds
so no one had time to perceive the implosion or to feel pain.1 However, if Rush scrubbed the mission and began ascending because Titan’s Real Time Acoustic Monitoring System (RTM) detected cracking in the carbon fiber hull, then it may have been a terrifying ride prior to implosion.
Titan had RTM acoustic sensors built into the hull which OceanGate bragged provided an “incredibly accurate” assessment of the structural health of the hull throughout the entire dive. According to the company, the extensive testing of the RTM system showed
that “increased acoustic activity always occurs well before the structure fails (emphasis added).”
Titan had sensors built into its hull which monitored hull health and sounded an alarm if anything started to crack.
1 For comparison, the blink of an eye takes about 100 to 150 milliseconds.
The best forensic evidence of what the passengers saw, heard, or experienced in the final minutes of their lives may be the text messages which Titan was supposed to be exchanging with its support ship, MV Polar, at least every 15 minutes via an ultra-short baseline acoustic system. But the texts are likely under lock and key and will not be made public until
the United States Coast Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) completes its ongoing investigation.
Shortly after the loss of Titan was announced, documents were published online which purport to be copies of the final text messages between Titan and MV Polar. Although the text messages tell an interesting story, their authenticity has been questioned by internet sleuths who point out the time stamps do not
all fit an official timeline and the texts
do not use certain codes which were designed to shorten transmissions.
Excerpts from possible hoax messages published online.
The Release of Liability
“So, before you even go on you sign this long, long waiver that mentions possible death three times on the first page. So you know what you’re getting into. In fact, when I stepped onto the sub, part of my mind was going, ‘Whelp, this could
be the end.’”- Mike Reiss2
As discussed in Part One of this article, no one set foot on Titan or its support ship, MV Polar, until they signed one whale of a Release of Liability Agreement which is excerpted with comments below:
You will ride in an experimental submersible vessel that has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body and could result in physical injury, disability, emotional trauma, or death.
This is certainly true.
The experimental submersible may be constructed of materials that have not been widely used in human occupied submersibles.
The use of the phrase “may be” is deceptive. The truth is that Titan was the one and only deep sea submersible ever made of carbon fiber.
When diving below the ocean surface this vessel will be subject to extreme pressure, and any failure of the vessel while I am aboard could cause severe injury or death.
This is certainly true.
I acknowledge that all travel in or around the water on vessels of any
type, including submersibles, entails both known and unanticipated risks that could result in physical injury, disability, emotional trauma, and death.
This is certainly true.
2 Mike Reiss was a producer of The Simpsons show and he was a passenger on one of three trips on Titan which made it all the way down to the Titanic and back.
36 PIERCE COUNTY LAWYER | March/April 2024