The recent confirmation of the loss of the submersible Titan carries with it a tragic and poetic irony. The wreckage of the vessel was discovered 1,700 feet from the bow of the Titanic, a symbol of maritime disaster that has captivated our collective fascination since it sank in 1912. Many questions have been raised about the events leading to the demise of the Titan and the five individuals on board, particularly the question of their motivations. What compelled them to take such an immense risk? They willingly confined themselves to a small, 22-foot-long vessel with limited oxygen supply, capable of descending to great depths with little hope of rescue if anything went awry. What drove them to do this? The same innate longing for adventure, prosperity, survival, and freedom that has historically propelled humans to explore the seas and venture beneath them.
It is not only the Europeans who embarked on perilous voyages across vast distances. As evidenced by Ferdinand Magellan’s monumental 1519 circumnavigation of the globe, which was marked by mutinies, tragic loss of life, and treacherous expeditions ashore, these explorers did not adhere to a conventional risk-benefit analysis. Magellan himself perished in a battle on a Pacific island, while the surviving men and ships returned from their epic journey nearly three years after it began. The enormity of the Pacific and the existence of inhabited islands scattered throughout were astonishing discoveries for European sailors in the 16th century, as detailed in Lincoln Paine’s comprehensive work, “The Sea & Civilization.”
The colonel of the First Coast Guard District, John Mauger, spoke at a press conference about the missing submersible near the Titanic wreck, revealing the discovery of debris on the ocean floor that indicates a catastrophic loss of pressure. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of the seas, economically and geo-strategically. The National Ocean Service reports that in 2017, the US maritime transportation system facilitated the transport of $1.6 trillion worth of cargo through seaports to and from international trading partners. The maritime enterprise has played a crucial role in the rise of Western Europe, as noted by Lincoln Paine.
Today, the control of the Taiwan Strait may have far-reaching implications for the future of the world. However, the significance of the seas in the modern world is often overlooked. Greg Easterbrook highlights this in his book, “The Blue Age,” pointing out that enormous container vessels, which are the lifeline of the global economy, remain largely invisible unless one happens to reside near a port. The undersea cables that support the internet and the hidden pipelines beneath the ocean also go unnoticed. Despite its immense usefulness, the sea remains a hostile and unforgiving environment. Acclaimed British painter J.M.W. Turner captures the overwhelming power of the oceans and the terror that arises when things go wrong in his artworks. In the depths of the ocean, there is no room for error.
The submarine Thresher, belonging to the US Navy, experienced a series of failures and imploded at a depth of approximately 2,300 feet during diving tests in 1963. The implosion occurred in a mere fraction of a second, too rapid for the submarine’s crew to comprehend, as described in an article from Naval History Magazine. The debris from the implosion spread across 33 acres of the ocean floor. Lincoln Paine quotes an ancient Greek epigram that starkly emphasizes the indomitable nature of the ocean: “All sea is sea… Pray if you wish for a safe journey home, but know that Aristagoras, buried here, has discovered the true nature of the ocean.”
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