Outlook bleak for passengers on the Titan, despite massive rescue effort
(Associated Press) The Titan has built-in safety systems that help it rise to the surface in case of emergency including sandbags and lead pipes that can be released, as well as an inflatable balloon. The system was designed to work even if everyone on board is unconscious.
That would be the best case scenario, but even then there would not necessarily be any survivors, said Lawrence Brennan, a professor at Fordham University’s School of Law.
The Titan’s hatch cannot be unlocked from the inside, “so they will have to open the hatch and the bolts from the outside and rescue the people in there. That’s the best scenario, and I’m not sure it’s likely,” said Brennan, a retired Navy captain who has been involved in investigating and prosecuting cases involving submarine rescue ships.
Lawrence B. Brennan is a member of the adjunct faculty at Fordham Law School who teaches the Admiralty and International Maritime Law Course. He has handled hundreds of admiralty and maritime cases in U.S. federal and foreign courts. He is a retired Captain, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy and served at sea and ashore for more than 33 years.
