Have you ever wondered what the difference was between a submarine and a submersible? I chose to write about this topic because I wanted to learn more about submersibles and submarines and the safety of them following the explosion of the Titan submersible that had traveled underwater to explore the Titanic this past summer. I wanted to figure out what caused the submersible to implode underwater and what science is going to be used to prevent future accidents.
The difference between a submarine and a submersible is that a submarine is much bigger, and it is used in the navy while a submersible is used mainly for tourism and is much smaller. Submarines are usually longer than a football field and they dive close to the surface while submersibles go very deep into the ocean. These submarines allow many scientists to travel very deep in seconds and they are able to study the sea life below. They are useful for the ocean especially in areas that are not safe for scuba diving teams. Navy submarines are also equipped with torpedoes if a war in the ocean is necessary. They are also equipped with ballast tanks that are usually filled with water or air and submarines are usually made out of alloyed steel.
Submersibles are usually controlled by radios or remotes instead of being operated by humans themselves. Submersibles are typically used for tourism and research. Submersibles are usually made out of titanium, and they must have tiny windows due to the extreme pressure. Submersibles usually need to be launched from a large ship to bring it out to the ocean.
The Titan Submarine was a small submersible that took tourists down to see the Titanic wreckage. The submersible then went really deep, and it imploded into itself causing the death of five passengers who were trapped inside. Scientists are now trying to figure out how we can make submersibles safer due to this tragic incident. They want to maybe find a better material to make these submersibles and find ways to ensure they can float to the surface in the case of an emergency. They also want submersibles to go through various tests to make sure they are safe before they are brought into service.
In conclusion submarines and submersibles have very different features and they are used for different purposes. I learned that submarines are usually bigger than submersibles and that submarines are used mostly by the navy. I also learned that after the Titan Submersible implosion, researchers wanted to find a better way to make submersibles much safer for the future.