In the midst of an outpouring of condolences for the five people on board who perished, authorities turned their attention to figuring out why submarine moving tourists to the Titanic site imploded deep in the North Atlantic.
After a terrible five-day tale that included a desperate 24-hour search for the Titan, it was revealed on Thursday that no one had survived.
According to Rear Adm. John Mauger of the First Coast Guard District, the investigation into what transpired was already underway and will continue in the vicinity of the Titanic where the submersible’s debris was discovered.
“I am aware that there are many inquiries as to how, why, and when this occurred. We will gather as much information as we can on those questions right away,” Mauger said, adding that it was a “complicated case” that occurred in a far-off area of the ocean and involved individuals from numerous different nations.
When the Titan was reported missing on Sunday, the Navy went back and analyzed its acoustic data and discovered an “anomaly” that was consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general area where the vessel was operating when communications were lost. This was the first indication of a timeline, which came on Thursday evening from a senior U.S. Navy official. The official discussed a delicate acoustic detecting technology under the condition of anonymity.
The submersible’s owner and operator, OceanGate Expeditions, CEO Stockton Rush, two important Pakistani family members, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, British explorer Hamish Harding, and Titanic specialist Paul-Henri Nargeolet were also killed.
The Titan left around 6 a.m. on Sunday and was spotted late around 435 miles (700 km) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Sunday afternoon. Rescuers sped to the location of the disappearance with ships, planes, and other tools.
Any chance of discovering the crew alive was extinguished early on Thursday when the submersible was due to run out of air and the Coast Guard reported that wreckage had been discovered about 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic.
According to Mauger, “the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.”
The sounds heard during the search, which had given rescuers some optimism that perhaps the individuals were still alive, were most likely produced by something other than the Titan, the Coast Guard said on Thursday.
The Navy relayed the information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the data was not deemed conclusive, according to the Navy official who discussed the “anomaly” heard on Sunday.
From all across the world, tributes and gratitude for the rescuers who attempted to save them came in.
In a statement, Harding’s family said: “We adored him and he was one of a kind. His lifetime accomplishments were genuinely exceptional, and if there is any tiny solace to be found in this tragedy, it is that he died doing what he loved.
The Dawood family expressed gratitude to rescuers in a statement that began with a verse from the Quran, saying that “their unceasing efforts were a source of strength for us during this time.” The family also expressed gratitude to “friends, family, colleagues, and well-wishers from all over the world” that stood with them during their time of need.
According to a longtime friend and coworker of Nargeolet, when contact was lost on Sunday, he immediately feared the worst.
Christian Pétron, a retired diver and underwater filmmaker, said as much to France-Info on Friday. “Unfortunately, I thought straight away of an implosion.” The pressure is extreme and merciless at the depths where the submersible was operating, he said.
Pétron observed that even a minor hull issue would result in a rapid implosion.
James Cameron, a diver who has visited the Titanic wreckage numerous times, told the BBC that the moment he learned the submarine had lost both navigation and communications at the same time, he knew an “extreme catastrophic event” had occurred.
For me, there was no question, said Cameron. “No search was conducted. Within hours of sending a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) down there for the first time, they discovered it, probably within minutes”.
96 hours of oxygen flow and banging noises, he claimed, were briefings that were a “prolonged and nightmarish charade” that offered the crew members’ families false hope.
According to documents submitted by the firm to a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, which has jurisdiction over cases involving the Titanic catastrophe, at least 46 people successfully visited the Titanic wreck site using OceanGate’s submersible in 2021 and 2022. However, both a former employee of the company and previous customers questioned the submersible’s safety.
Former OceanGate director of marine operations David Lochridge claimed in 2018 that the company’s approach to ensuring the soundness of the hull, which relied on acoustic monitoring to find cracks and pops as the hull strained under pressure, was insufficient and could “subject passengers to potential extreme danger in an experimental submersible.”
OceanGate disputed this. It stated that Lochridge “is not an engineer and was not hired or asked to perform engineering services on the Titan,” and that he was fired for refusing to accept the company’s lead engineer’s assurances that the acoustic monitoring and testing protocol was, in fact, better suited to detect flaws than a method Lochridge proposed.
One of the earliest clients of the business compared his dive to the location two years ago to a suicide mission.
“Consider a few-meter-long metal tube with a metal sheet serving as the floor. You cannot endure. Not even close. Everyone is seated next to or on top of one another, says German adventurer and retired businessman Arthur Loibl. “You can’t be afraid of close quarters.”
