Fact Check: Were photos of the imploded Titanic submarine revealed? Viral pictures debunked

In the wake of the OceanGate submersible imploding and killing its five passengers en route to the Titanic wreckage, several pictures allegedly showing the collapsed vessel are making the rounds online. However, no images of the imploded craft or its debris have been made public.

Two of the bogus pictures were confirmed by the Associated Press to be photos of the Titanic wreck taken in 2004, while others were AI-generated images showing parts of an exploded boat. As per the publication, no images or footage of the debris have been released yet by the search team, which is comprised of the U.S. Navy, the Canadian Coast Guard, and OceanGate itself.

The erroneous photos were shared across various social media platforms, adding to the confusion. One Twitter handle, @CBKNEWS, posted the AI-generated image on Friday, June 23, 2023, claiming that the now infamous submersible, named Titan, has been found.

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Titan's wreckage was reportedly found about 1600 ft away from the Titanic

Titan was on its way to the Titanic wreck in the Atlantic Ocean when it lost contact with its support ship, Polar Price, about two hours into the dive on Sunday, June 18, prompting a massive search and rescue effort. However, by Thursday evening, the U.S. Coast Guard had relayed the unfortunate news about its implosion.

Onboard the craft were OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, Pakistani tech mogul Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman, British businessman Hamish Harding, and French diver and Titanic researcher Paul-Henry Nargeolet.

According to the Associated Press, some fake posts claimed that an underwater robot found the submersible's debris across the ocean floor. In a separate email to the news agency, an armed service asserted to not trust any social media photos unless released on their official accounts or in a press release.

AP also reverse-searched the images and found two were taken in 2004 and did not match Titan's wreckage. The image description reads:

"This 2004 photo provided by the Institute for Exploration, Archaeological Oceanography Center/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration shows the remains of a coat and boots in the mud on the seafloor near the stern of the Titanic."

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What happened to OceanGate's Titan?

The submersible was on its 12,500 ft dive into the ocean to reach the Titanic's wreckage. However, it imploded due to the extreme water pressure, which could be tens of thousands of tonnes.

According to Dave Corley, a former US nuclear submarine officer, a hull completely collapsing at such great depths would take about one millisecond, instantly killing all onboard. He explained that as the vessel imploded, the high hydrocarbon concentration inside would auto-ignite, and an explosion would follow, turning human bodies to "ash and dust instantly."

According to BBC, while investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of structural failure, many experts believe they would focus on the craft's cylindrical carbon fiber mid-section, sandwiched in between two titanium endcaps. The configuration that many believed needed rigorous safety and pressure testing was adopted to fit more people inside.

In light of the recent development, old interviews given by Rush revealed he criticized existing safety regulations, calling them "pure waste," and even admitted to breaking many such rules.