The Titanic submersible which three Brits died on would have popped like a “balloon” after plunging like a vertical “arrow”, an expert has said.
Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman, plus French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeole, Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, all died when the sub imploded during a descent to see the wreckage of the Titanic.
Submarine expert José Luis Martín said the five victims probably lost balance in those final moments and could have fallen on top of each other.
Martín claimed the Titan submersible fell “like an arrow vertically” and had “no control” for at least 2,953ft (900m).
He said the implosion was like “puncturing a balloon”.
Based on the Spanish engineer’s calculations, the passengers would have been aware of their fate for between 48 and 71 seconds.
He told the newspaper Nius: “The submersible was descending without any incident and in a horizontal plane until it reached an altitude of about 5,577ft (1,700m).
“At that point, there was an electrical failure. It was left without an engine and without propulsion.
“That’s when it lost communication with the Polar Prince.”
He continued: “The Titan changed position and fell like an arrow vertically, because the 400 kilos of passengers that were in the porthole compromised the submarine.
“They all rushed and crowded on top of each other. Imagine the horror, the fear and the agony.”
Martín added: “It must have been like a horror movie.”
The former chief engineer continued: “As they fell into the depths of the ocean, the resistant hull was subjected to a sudden increase in pressure.
“And then there was a strong compression of the container where the tourists and pilot were.
“In that period of time, they are realising everything. And in total darkness.
“It’s difficult to get an idea of what they experienced in those moments.
“After those 48 seconds, or one minute, the implosion occurred followed by instantaneous death.”
The tragedy happened while attempting to view the wreckage of the Titanic on the morning of June 18.
The submersible lost contact with the mothership about 105 minutes into its dive.
A frantic search was launched including crews from multiple countries over fears the sub was intact but immobile and the passengers were slowly running out of air.
The US Coast Guard confirmed the victims’ deaths four days later. The wreckage of the submersible was later recovered from the ocean floor.
An investigation into the implosion is ongoing.
Beyond a kilometre below the surface of the ocean, no light can reach so the water is pitch black. The story caught international attention.
The incident unravelled at the same time a migrant boat capsized in the Mediterranean off the coast of Greece, with hundreds of people feared dead.
