Titanic sends another reminder to mankind
- Desperate race to find tour submarine in waters near historic wreck shows the risks we face by continuing to push the boundaries on Earth and above
There are several dire possibilities of what might have happened to the missing Titanic tour submarine, and few really reassuring explanations. The mystery of what has happened to it and its five occupants, a century after the world’s most famous maritime disaster, has become a talking point to rival the sinking of the Titanic itself.
If it were to have a happy ending it would seem a miracle. Sadly, that is what it might take to save those on board the submersible as their oxygen supply runs out – if they are still alive.
Our thoughts must be with all concerned in a race against time and the unknown.
This was not a trailblazing dive to the final resting place of the Titanic. But it was vulnerable to a range of technical and physical hitches in extreme conditions.
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Underwater ‘banging’ noises heard in search for lost Titanic tour submersible
When time comes to reflect on the final outcome, many might wonder how a 4km dive to the bottom of the Atlantic has not ended like this before.
It is a reminder that we live in an age where mankind has been enabled by science and technology to push its boundaries. Technologies that were once hard to get, and which only a few national governments could command, are now becoming more accessible.
From outer space to the deep seas, more and more private individuals, wealthy beyond imagining not that long ago, can now afford to conduct exploration and expeditions to satisfy their own and others’ curiosity, or just tick them off their bucket list. Unlike the private explorers of the 19th century, most private missions today break no new ground or are of little real scientific value.
This case is a reminder that despite technological advances, such ventures can be highly risky. And if they go wrong they can defy the most sophisticated rescue efforts.
Rescuers ‘hopeful’ to save Titan sub crew as 96-hour oxygen supply mark passes
In this instance, even those who have expressed some optimism have warned that many obstacles remain – from pinpointing the vessel’s location, to reaching it with rescue equipment, to bringing it to the surface – assuming it is still intact – before the oxygen supply runs out.
So if the five do not live to tell the tale themselves, their fate should serve as a caution that the more mankind pushes its boundaries beneath the waves and above the atmosphere, the more carefully it must weigh the risks and control its appetite for them.
