The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Thursday that the Titan submarine had been found in pieces due to a “catastrophic implosion.” The search for the vessel lasted five days and involved multiple countries. A debris field from the submersible named Titan was located by a robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian ship. The wreckage was found approximately 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the Titanic, about 2 1/2 miles (4 km) below the surface in the North Atlantic.
The Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, had lost contact with its surface support ship during a dive. The debris field included major fragments of the submarine, such as the tail cone and sections of the pressure hull. No information was provided regarding the presence of human remains.
Also Read: What Happened to the Titan Submarine?
Statement of U.S. Coast Guard:
Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard stated that the debris field indicated a catastrophic implosion of the submersible. OceanGate had already issued a statement before the Coast Guard’s announcement, confirming that there were no survivors among the five individuals on board the Titan.
Victims of Catastrophic Implosion
The victims of this catastrophic implosion included OceanGate’s founder and CEO, Stockton Rush, as well as British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and French oceanographer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. The company expressed condolences to their families and described the deceased as passionate explorers who were dedicated to ocean exploration and conservation.
International Search Teams Report:
International search teams from the United States, Canada, France, and Britain had conducted an extensive search effort, covering thousands of square miles of the open sea using planes and ships. The search received significant media attention, overshadowing another tragic maritime disaster involving a migrant vessel off the coast of Greece.
The exact timing of the submersible’s demise remained uncertain. Although no loud, violent noise indicating an implosion was detected by the sonar buoys deployed in the area, the proximity of the debris field to the Titanic wreckage and the timeframe of the last communication with the Titan suggested that the failure occurred near the end of its descent.
The U.S. Navy acknowledged that its own acoustic data analysis detected an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion near the submersible’s location when communication was lost. This information was promptly shared with the search mission’s commanders. According to the Wall Street Journal, the sound was picked up by a top-secret system designed to detect enemy submarines.
About Titanic:
The RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during its maiden voyage, is located about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and 400 miles (640 km) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. OceanGate had been conducting undersea expeditions to the wreck since 2021, with each trip costing $250,000 per person.
Concerns about the safety of the Titan were raised in 2018 during a symposium of submersible industry experts. A lawsuit was also filed by OceanGate’s former head of marine operations. The lawsuit was later settled that same year.
The incident attracted significant global attention due to the iconic status of the Titanic. The ship has captivated public interest for over a century and inspired numerous works of nonfiction and fiction. The fiction also included the acclaimed 1997 film “Titanic.”
