How can wine bottles and other objects that sunk with the Titanic withstand the extreme pressure of 12,500 feet below the surface?
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The pressure is only an issue when acting on objects that contain a gas (in most cases air), which is compressible. Solid objects with no air-filled cavities will not be affected, no will objects that contain only liquids, as liquids are not compressible.
Thinking about wine bottles specifically, it’s an interesting question because they contain mostly liquid but a small amount of air. If they were completely full of liquid the answer would be simple: the liquid cannot be compressed so the higher pressure is irrelevant and cannot break the bottle.
With the small amount of air, the question is whether the bottle is strong enough to withstand the pressure exerted given the relatively small cavity. Glass bottles are in fact surprisingly strong, especially against evenly-distributed force, as from high-pressure liquid. In addition, the pressure may force the cork further into the bottle, displacing some of the compressed air and reducing the cavity still further. These factors could allow bottles to survive even under extremely high pressure.
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