image copyrightShutterstock.com
photo comment,
The nose cone, part of Titan’s outer shell, and parts of the stability frame were among the wreckage recovered
Article informationAuthor, Jonathan Amos and Role Visual Journalism Team, BBC
3 hours ago
The rescue ship “Horizon Arctic” was able to extract all the wreckage of the submarine Titan, and collect it from the midst of the remains scattered at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
It seems clear from the amount of parts recovered by the ship’s deep-sea robot that they are components of importance, and may help investigators identify the main cause that led to the disaster of the internal explosion of the submarine Titan 11 days ago, which killed five people on board.
Dock workers at St John’s in Newfoundland tried to cover the parts with plastic sheeting, but some pieces were still clearly visible and identifiable.
One of the most notable parts was the front cover of the submarine, which was made of titanium and was in the shape of a cylinder.
The lid is in the form of a metal donut, with a hole in the middle, presumably a window for viewing.
Conical toe and viewing window
The crane passed through the hole, and we do not currently know where the acrylic window is located, and concerns have been raised about its strength, and whether it can withstand pressure at a depth of 4 kilometers, but nothing can be known now in the absence of its presence in the pictures taken in St. John’s Port.
What appears to be the titanium retaining ring, which are metal rings that connect the two ends of the carbon fiber cylindrical structure, was also recovered, and this ring also connects the back cover.
Titanium back ring
These rings and their carbon fiber connections will be a central part of the investigation now under way by US and Canadian authorities.
Blair Thornton, Professor of Independent Marine Investigation at Britain’s University of Southampton, said: “I think the main parts to examine are the interface between the acrylic window and the titanium, the hemispherical domes, or the stern parts, and also the area where the carbon fibers were attached to the titanium couplings.”
“You can see that these two components were recovered, which is what we were hoping for further investigation,” he told BBC News.
The workers were able to prepare several plastic bags from the wreckage of the submarine and put them on trucks, and we have no idea what is inside those bags, and could there be some pieces of the submarine’s carbon fiber hull itself?
image copyrightShutterstock.com
If these parts are present, investigators will want to examine them for any evidence of separating the carbon layers, a process known as lamellar separation, particularly at the point where they join the joints. It is known that layers of carbon fibers can begin to separate in very difficult conditions. .
Among the largest components recovered was the aft equipment compartment, which although covered by a tapered tail cone, is an open cage, and the photographs show significant damage as it separated from the submarine.
A prominent long penis was also observed. It is the antenna that normally connects to the Iridium satellite phone network when the submarine is in the water.
Rear equipment compartment
The antenna was to be operated independently, and the fact that no message was received through this system after Titan had begun its voyage was a strong indication during the search phase that the submarine would not return at all.
The long metal struts that were placed on the trucks were what remained of the submarine’s mooring frame, which Titan used to dock on a flat surface, such as in a workshop or on a launch ship.
Remains of the submarine’s mooring frame
The large white panels seen in the dock were part of the submarine’s outer layer, which was used to cover the wires and tubes that run along the submarine’s carbon-fiber hull.
Part of the outer layer of the submarine
Some have described these panels as remnants of the submarine’s hull itself, however the carbon fiber pressure cooker pieces will be black, thick and stiff, and these white panels were bent by contrast as they were placed on the truck.
During the recovery of the submarine wreck we did not see any containers that might have been used to transport human remains, and the US Coast Guard says it may now have such.
#Titan #submarine #wreck #happened #disaster #BBC #News #Arabic
2023-06-30 01:32:15
