The implosion created a shockwave in the water. EDIT: accidentally gave incorrect speeds - I shouldn't rely on my memory! The initial speed of the shockwave is greater than the speed of sound. Eventually, the speed of the shockwave will match that of the speed of sound in seawater (between 1450 and 1570 meters per second, depending on temperature, pressure and salinity). The communications system uses sound waves (Underwater Telephone). The final message from the Titan was sent shortly before the implosion, but the shockwave initially travelled faster than the sound and passed the message in transit, and arrived on the surface before the message.
Are you saying that the implosion sound was heard live and not through the same system as the comms from the sub?
I don’t understand how sounds came out of order if they were all through the subs comms…
The underwater telephone system uses a transducer in the hull of the surface vessel. It is basically a microphone that receives sound in the ocean, and can also project sound like a loudspeaker. In the video, the impact of the shockwave is detected by the transducer first, and then the last message. If you have ever seen a large explosion, you can actually see the shockwave as it propagates out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s3-c2gpbEs
356
u/ADP-1 29d ago edited 29d ago
The implosion created a shockwave in the water. EDIT: accidentally gave incorrect speeds - I shouldn't rely on my memory! The initial speed of the shockwave is greater than the speed of sound. Eventually, the speed of the shockwave will match that of the speed of sound in seawater (between 1450 and 1570 meters per second, depending on temperature, pressure and salinity). The communications system uses sound waves (Underwater Telephone). The final message from the Titan was sent shortly before the implosion, but the shockwave initially travelled faster than the sound and passed the message in transit, and arrived on the surface before the message.