I don't see any other threads about it. They found it with an unmanned robot at 2700'. It's in 3 pieces. The collapse depth of that sub is 650'. They saw survival suits that had been unpacked but not put on so they figure the crew was getting ready for an escape attempt or something but didn't make it. It's only 1500 yds from where it dived so whatever caused it happened very soon after it went under.
Designed for roughly 20ATM crush depth.
I am guessing either they were testing Max operating depth or something failed above max operating depth..
650' foot crush depth seems a pretty thin skin sub given the South China sea ranges from 2-5 kilometers (1-2mi) in depth..
And I think that is shallow compared to the Atlantic and Pacific.
I wish I could better recall conversations with my friends who were submariners.
