The search for the missing submersible Titan — which disappeared on Sunday carrying a pilot and four passengers to the wreck of the Titanic — has seemingly ended in tragedy.
Earlier today, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that a remote-operated vehicle (ROV) discovered the tail cone of the Titan approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor. The ROV also found additional debris, prompting experts to conclude that the submersible experienced a catastrophic loss in pressure. All five individuals are assumed dead.
The last thing we want to do is join the meme-ification of this tragedy, but for those interested in learning more about depressurization, Twitter users have turned to an old episode of Mythbusters for some disturbing answers. Proceed at your discretion; the following may prove distressing to some readers.
Per NPR, the episode sought to test the myth that a drastic change in water pressure could result in a diver’s entire body being pressed upward into their helmet. To test this very gross conceit, the Mythbusters gang built a so-called “Meat Man” out of purchased pig parts — which was the closest they could get to making a real person. It had bones, muscles, fat, skin, and even a middle section containing intestines.
They then outfitted Meat Man in an old-style diving suit, put it underwater, and depressurized it. What happened? Exactly what the myth says. Again, the following footage may be distressing:
Regarding the “why” of it all, details have surfaced recently about OceanGate potentially ignoring some red flags in previous months about Titan, including a warning of “catastrophic safety problems” during the development of the submersible. Here’s hoping this incident leads to such oversight being taken more seriously in the future.