Former navy commander Ryan Ramseysaid the bolts holding the hatch could have failed (Picture: SWNS)
A former submarine captain in the Royal Navy has said he believes the Titan submarine imploded after the vessel’s bolts failed or the hull was fractured.
The US Coast Guard revealed yesterday the submersible was destroyed by a ‘catastrophic implosion’ killing all five people on board.
The confirmation comes after a ‘debris field’ was found on the floor of the Atlantic near the wreck of the Titanic, which the crew was visiting.
Ryan Ramsey, a former Royal Navy submarine captain, revealed he believes either the bolts to the hatch failed, or the pressure hull was fractured.
He said: ‘I think either one of two things has happened.
‘Either the hatch with the 17 bolts they used to seal them in has had a failure, which has then caused the hull to collapse at pressure because there’s huge amounts of pressure, even halfway down.
‘Or the pressure hull itself had a defect in it when they sailed and that’s fractured from the pressure, and caused the same result.
‘The only positive out of it is that it was instantaneous and they didn’t know anything.’
The submarine was destroyed by a ‘catastrophic implosion’ (Picture: EyePress News/Shutterstock)
A debris was found by the wreck of the Titanic (Picture: Reuters)
OceanGate – which owned the Titan submersible and organised the expedition – paid tribute to the five ‘true explorers’ who were onboard.
In a statement, the company said: ‘We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
‘These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.
‘Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.
‘This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss.’
Former navy commander Ryan Ramsey said the bolts holding the hatch could have failed.