What Would Happen If You Were Trapped In A Submarine? | Unveiled

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What Would Happen If You Were Trapped in a Submarine?</h4>

The ocean is vastly underexplored and, as a result, it ranks as one of the most mysterious places on Earth. Our planet is seventy-one percent covered by water, and yet we still know so little about what lies beneath the waves. One way to get closer to what’s really out there is to journey down via submarine… and there are countless submersibles patrolling the depths today, for a variety of reasons - from military to research. But, what if any one of those missions were to suddenly go wrong?

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; what would happen if you were trapped in a submarine?

Thalassophobia is a fear of the ocean; a fear of deep bodies of water, and of what they could contain. It may be that it’s the creatures of the sea that a sufferer finds so anxiety-inducing, or it might be just the sheer vastness of the water that sets them on edge. But, for anyone wrestling with thalassophobia, the prospect of life on board a submarine is pretty much a waking nightmare. Life trapped on board a submarine that’s perhaps lost or in some kind of danger would be the ultimate in worst case scenarios.

Unfortunately, there have been instances when exactly that has happened, in human history. Many relate to submarines lost during wartime… and especially in World War Two, when deep sea vessels played a major role in the conflict. Some were taken out by mines, others during battles on the ocean itself. There are records of fatal collisions too, resulting in the loss of submarines. The year 1968 stands out for an especially dark run of isolated events, which saw four subs disappear in a short space of time. One was the USS Scorpion, an American vessel lost in May, with all 99 crew perishing as well. Theories on the cause are many and inconclusive, although the leading idea is that there was a hydrogen explosion on board. Another theory says that one of the torpedoes carried by the Scorpion may have been accidentally activated. 

The Kursk Disaster is another especially high profile example, occuring in August 2000 and resulting in the loss of its entire crew - 118 people. The K-141 Kursk was a Russian nuclear sub, but was downed when a series of linked explosions ripped through it within minutes. What’s even more haunting, however, is that investigations have found that a small portion of the crew likely survived in one section of the Kursk for up to six hours after the initial blasts. Those few then had to endure rapidly falling oxygen levels, before it’s believed that another fire broke out… this time burning through the remaining oxygen, instantly killing most of everyone else, and suffocating those who were the last to die. The desperate, claustrophobic conditions were eventually, inevitably swallowed by flame.

Away from the military, and there have been cases of lost submersibles and trapped deep-sea explorers in the private sector, too. In June 2023, news broke that a vessel containing five people had disappeared while carrying out a tourist trip to visit the wreck of the Titanic. In a dive led by the company OceanGate Expeditions, it had been planned that the Titan - the lost submersible in question - would travel almost 13,000 feet below sea level to visit the iconic ruin. However, one hour and forty-five minutes into the journey, and all contact with the Titan was lost. There followed a massive search and rescue effort, with the remoteness of the location cited as one of the biggest difficulties in finding where the Titan was, and what had gone wrong. According to reports, there were various safety measures in place, in case of emergency, including a ninety-six-hour (or two-day) oxygen supply.

What happened to the Titan serves to highlight many of the biggest problems you would face if you were ever trapped inside a submarine. Caught in a limited container, perhaps miles below the surface, that need for oxygen would be paramount. In some scenarios, this might not be an issue, if the creation of oxygen remained unchanged. For example, many subs carry oxygen generators, which can process it via electrolysis in the surrounding water. If those were to fail, however, then the crew would be dependent on any extra oxygen carried, in pressurized tanks. There could still be an ample supply, but it would now be finite - which could prove fatal. There would be on-board protocols to tackle and organize the distribution of oxygen, to maximize its use… but those would become less and less effective over time. 

The break in communication would be another massive concern. Your submarine may well continue to funnel oxygen to prevent suffocation, but you still can’t stay down there forever. The need for food, water, energy, your psychological state of mind; there are so many challenges that just won’t allow for that. But, if all links were lost, then the chances of a rescue crew finding you are low. Again, the majority of the ocean is underexplored… but, not only that, much of it hasn’t even been properly mapped. As such, finding anything in the deep sea has always proven extremely hard. There are downed planes that have never been found, despite records showing exactly where they fell into the water. There are countless sunken ships still unaccounted for. It’s why so many lost submarines are fate unknown. On the surface, these spectacular vehicles are usually tracked only as blinking lights on computer screens… but when those lights go out, we can often only speculate as to why.

Another key consideration is the pressure. Of course, the further down a submarine travels, the greater the pressure that it must withstand. It is possible (and it has been done) for a vehicle to carry people to the deepest point on Earth - Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, thirty-six thousand feet down. But it’s not as though every submarine can descend that far. In fact, most are only designed to travel up to around one thousand feet below the surface. Some can reportedly make it to three or even five thousand feet. But, go beyond that, and there’s a risk of crushing and implosion. If you were trapped on a submarine, then, it would perhaps be best if that sub were itself trapped and lodged in the seabed somewhere. That way, your vehicle could never fall too deep to survive… although, on the other hand, the chances of reforging communications would be basically zero on a wreck that never moved.

The mental strain that such a situation would inflict was brought into a haunting new light in April 2021, when Indonesia’s KRI Nanggala submarine was lost during a routine missile drill. In this case, the wreck was quickly located, but as it had split into three parts none of the 53-person crew survived. The story was widely reported, however, alongside a photograph and video taken weeks before the incident, said to show those on board singing and playing guitar. Unaware of what was to come, the crew look happy; in bitter and terrifying hindsight, the image reveals the cramped and mechanical conditions that all submarines offer. These are not vehicles of luxury. They’re practical, unflinching, and would offer very little comfort to anyone in a scenario with just those inside walls to stare out whilst you hope against hope that a rescue team will arrive.

How do you think you would cope if you were in this situation? What would you try to do to increase your chances of survival? With the modern world so often geared towards space travel, we often think about what it might be like to be lost in space on a mission. But actually, would being lost in the ocean be even more isolating? With just the water all around you, there would be nowhere else to go. Because that’s what would happen if you were trapped in a submarine.