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What details have been released in the Titan submersible implosion?
What details have been released in the Titan submersible implosion?
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What is a catastrophic implosion? What we know about Titan submersible
Officials believe a "catastrophic implosion" killed the five people in a missing Titanic submersible. Here's what that means.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Two years after its tragic end that captured the attention of the nation and the world, details continue to emerge about the OceanGate Titan submersible and its final mission.
In June 2023, five people hoping to catch an up-close and personal glimpse of the Titanic shipwreck descended in a 22-foot-long, 25,000-pound submersible made of titanium and carbon fiber. The craft was designed to dive up to 13,123 feet, according to OceanGate, meaning it should have been capable of safely reaching the wreckage site 12,500 feet below the surface.
About 1 hour and 45 minutes into the dive, however, contact with Titan was lost, sparking a multi-day search and rescue mission that culminated in the discovery of debris scattered about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic.
In the years since, ongoing investigations have unveiled new pieces of evidence, including audio and video of Titan's fateful final moments.
What happened to the OceanGate Titan submersible?
On June 18, 2023, OceanGate submerged its tourist submersible, Titan, in the North Atlantic Ocean on a voyage to explore the Titanic wreckage. The submersible is believed to have imploded about 1 hour and 45 minutes after its trip began, resulting in the deaths of its five passengers.
Wreckage of the vessel was later found scattered across the ocean floor, 330 yards away from the bow of the Titanic, the infamous liner that sank in 1912.
The U.S. Coast Guard is continuing to investigate what caused the implosion.
What caused the implosion?
The U.S. Coast Guard is still investigating the accident to formally determine the cause of the Titan's implosion. In the years following the disaster, however, details about the submersible's handling have captured national attention.
A series of hearings held by the Coast Guard last year brought many pieces of evidence and testimony to light, from claims that Titan was being navigated using an altered gaming controller to testimony about warnings OceanGate was reportedly given about the quality and safety of the submersible before its final descent.
Public consensus thus far has primarily placed blame on the experimental design of the craft, which was ultimately unable to withstand the extreme pressures of its deep-sea dive. The state of the discovered debris was "consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber," Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard said in the days after the accident.
Who died in the OceanGate Titan submersible disaster?
OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, 61, was piloting the Titan submersible at the time of the disaster. He oversaw financial and engineering strategies at the company and left behind a wife and two adult children.
Hamish Harding, 58, was a British billionaire explorer who was chairman of Action Aviation, a global sales company in business aviation. He is survived by his wife and four children.
A look at the victims: Who died in the OceanGate Titan submersible disaster?
Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77, was a French Navy veteran, maritime and Titanic expert and director of Underwater Research for E/M Group and RMS Titanic, Inc. He is survived by his wife, three children, stepson and grandchildren.
Shahzada Dawood, 48, hailed from one of Pakistan's wealthiest families and served on the board of trustees for the Dawood Foundation, an education nonprofit based in Pakistan. Dawood is survived by a wife and daughter.
Shahzada Dawood's son, Suleman Dawood, 19, was a business student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and had planned to join his father in working for Engro after graduating from college.
Newly released footage captured moment of implosion
In the wake of the Coast Gaurd hearings, a lawsuit filed by the family of one of the victims and the release of two documentaries, the BBC's "Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster" and Netflix's "Titan: The OceanGate Disaster," additional, sometimes sordid details, have emerged in the two years since the accident.
Recently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Coast Guard released a 23-second-long clip in February that reportedly captured the moment of implosion. Officials called the static, followed by a boom and then silence, the "suspected acoustic signature" of the implosion.
Listen: New audio of Titan submersible moments before implosion
The Coast Guard has released new audio of Titan submersible's final moments before implosion.
The sounds were recorded by a monitor moored approximately 900 miles from the Titan's implosion site, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Additional footage provided to the Coast Guard by OceanGate showed the moment from the perspective of the submersible's tracking and communications team, which included Wendy Rush, CEO Stockton Rush's wife. In the clip, the team is seen monitoring data and text communications. With about 400 meters to go, a muffled thump can be heard from the Titan, prompting Rush to ask, "What was that bang?"
Newly released footage captures sound of Titan submersible imploding
Newly released video appeared to capture the sound of the Titan submersible imploding on its way to visit the Titanic wreck in June 2023.
That sound, the Coast Guard said, "later correlated with the loss of communication and tracking," and "is believed to be the sound of the Titan's implosion reaching the surface of the ocean."
The Coast Guard has yet to release the findings of its investigation. However, the hearings revealed the eerie final messages sent from the crew before it was crushed by the pressure of the ocean: "All good here."
Contributing: Saman Shafiq, Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY
