Interesting, he says the theory he currently finds most plausible and has heard from other experts is that water was able to penetrate the flange connecting the

Interesting, he says the theory he currently finds most plausible and has heard from other experts is that water was able to penetrate the flange connecting the titanium caps to the pressure hull. So the hull itself may not have been the first to go. But of course that failure is intrinsically connected to the carbon fiber nature of the sub.