According to US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger, the Titanic-bound submarine that went missing on Sunday with five passengers on board suffered a “catastrophic implosion,” killing everyone on board.
The tail cone and other wreckage from the missing Titan submersible were discovered around 1,600 feet off the Titanic’s bow.
“This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor, and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” said Mauger, the head of the First Coast Guard District.
Mauger stated that the families were immediately alerted. “I can only imagine what this has been like for them, and I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time,” he said.
After days of searching, the US Coast Guard confirms the fate of the five persons on board the Titanic-bound submarine.
After days of searching, the US Coast Guard confirms the fate of the five persons on board the Titanic-bound submarine.
On Sunday, June 18, the Titan began its descend to survey the Titanic wreckage, which is located around 13,000 feet below sea level in the North Atlantic Ocean, with an estimated 96 hours of life support. According to an old version of OceanGate’s website, the voyage was promoted as “a chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary” and cost each participant $250,000.
However, about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the dive, the confined vessel lost touch with its mother ship, did not surface as scheduled, and has not been heard from since.
After days of searching, the US Coast Guard confirms the fate of the five persons on board the Titanic-bound submarine.
According to relatives and social media posts, Rush, the OceanGate CEO and founder, was aboard the Titan, along with Harding, a British businessman; Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; and Nargeolet, a French diver. Officials have not released the names of anyone on board.
OceanGate Expeditions, the firm that operated the deep-sea submersible, published a statement minutes before the news conference saying it believes the five personnel inside the vehicle are dead.
“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet have sadly perished,” said OceanGate in a statement.
“These men were true explorers with a strong sense of adventure and a strong desire to explore and protect the world’s oceans.” During this awful moment, our hearts go out to these five people and every one of their families. We mourn the loss of their lives and the joy they offered to everyone they knew.”
Earlier Thursday, the US Coast Guard said it discovered a “debris field” in the search area near the Titanic that was determined to be from the submersible’s exterior body.
At around 8:55 a.m. ET, the wreckage was discovered on the ocean floor, approximately 500 meters off the bow of the Titanic.
The Coast Guard stated that a press conference will be held at 3 p.m. ET to “discuss findings from the Horizon Arctic’s ROV on the sea floor near the Titanic.”
According to a spokesman for Pelagic Research Services, the debris field was discovered by their remote-controlled vehicle (a sea drone), which was the first to hunt for the submersible on the sea bottom.
The announcement comes as the search for the Titan has reached a “critical” stage, according to the co-founder of the firm that operates the submersible.
The mission shows the continued interest with the Titanic’s wreckage more than a century after it collided with an iceberg and perished on its maiden voyage, killing over 1,500 people.
