Ever since the Titan submersible went missing on Sunday, it’s all anyone can talk about.
As we all know, debris of the Titan submersible was found around the Titanic, confirming that the five people aboard the Titan did not make it out alive. It was an unfortunate and devastating ending to an event that has consumed so much of our time over the past week.
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Despite all the sadness surrounding the situation, I’ve also learned quite a bit about our oceans that I never knew before.
Perhaps I didn’t pay enough attention in science classes growing up, but I’ve learned so much about not only the ocean in the last few days, but also submarines in general. From fantastic reporting from journalists and creators on social media, all of it is truly blowing my mind.
So in the name of science, here are five things that I’ve learned recently about the ocean and submarines. Perhaps you already knew all of this information, but I still find it fascinating.
1. The ocean is really, really deep
This might be obvious, but I don’t think I’ve ever truly grasped just how deep the ocean is, or just how deep the Titanic wreckage is. I was surprised to learn the Titanic wreckage is just over 12,000 feet below sea level. That means if you stacked eight Empire State Buildings on top of each other, you would still have about 1,000 feet to go until you reached the Titanic. That’s insane!
It’s so deep that not only sunlight cannot reach the Titanic, but a majority of marine life can’t dive that deep because of the water pressure. Blue whales, the largest mammals on Earth, don’t even make it close to diving down that deep.
2. The difference between a submarine and a submersible
When the news first broke, everyone was calling the Titan a submarine, but as we’ve all learned, it’s technically called a submersible. Sure enough, there is a difference between the two.
A submersible is a watercraft that is supported by a vessel at the surface of the water, such as a platform, boat or another submarine. The submersible launches from that other water vessel. A submarine operates on its own independently. Technically, all submarines are submersibles, but it’s good to know the clear difference between the two.
Before this all went down, I had never even heard of the word submersible.
3. Submarines have been around for a very long time
Again, maybe I should have paid attention more in history class back in the day, but I had no idea that submarines have been around and functioning for well over 100 years.
It makes sense to think about submarines being used in World War II, but they were even used in World War I and the Civil War! It seems impossible that the technology to make submarines was around back then, but apparently it was. There are even reports of submarines that fit one person were made even earlier than the Civl War.
4. The location of the Titanic
When you think of an iceberg sinking a massive ship, you’d think that the Titanic was traveling closer to the Arctic ocean, but when I actually learned where the shipwreck site was, I couldn’t believe it.
When you look at the map, the Titan’s final resting place is off the coast of Newfoundland, which is just a little bit more north than Boston. If you zoom out and look at the entire Atlantic Ocean, you really get a sense that the Titanic isn’t that far from the coast at all.
In my head, I always assumed that it was in a very, very remote area, and I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw where the actual shipwreck is at.
5. How submarines and submersibles work
When I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever actually put any thought into wondering how a submarine sinks and rises in the water, but when I watched a TikTok of a woman who works on a submarine explain how it works a few days ago, I almost couldn’t believe it.
I guess I just assumed that propellers or something made a submarine or submersible sink to the bottom of the ocean, but it actually works due to tanks that surround the vessel. They are called ballast tanks, and they fill with water (or air). When the submarine is ready to dive, the tanks are filled with water until “its overall density is greater than the surrounding water.”
It’s a whole lot of science that I still don’t fully understand, but it’s for sure a lot more complicated (and interesting) than just some propellers making it go up and down.
What has surprised you about this entire situation? The history of submarines? The location of the Titanic? Have you learned anything new? Let us know in the comments.
The entire situation with the Titan submersible has been an absolute tragedy, but I’m still amazed at all this new information I’ve learned over the past few days. As they always say, knowledge is power.