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Hearing into loss of submersible Titan has commenced

On the first day of a hearing expected to last two weeks into the causes of the implosion of the "Titan" submersible on Sep 16, 2024, the US Coast Guard shared new findings about the last moments on board. Representatives of the Coast Guard testified that the 'Titan' had been exposed to the weather while in storage for a period of seven months between 2022 and 2023. In addition, the hull of the "Titan" had never been inspected by a third party in accordance with standard procedures. Shortly before the submersible "Titan" imploded on the way to the wreck of the "Titanic", the crew sent the message "Everything is fine here" to the surface. This is evident from an animation on the fate of the "Titan" in the North Atlantic, which was presented by the US Coast Guard on Sep 16. The presentation shows that the crew members of the "Titan" communicated with crew on board the "Polar Prince" via text messages. They exchanged information about the depth and weight of the "Titan". The crew on board the "Polar Prince" inquired whether the ship could still be seen on the on-board display, because as the submersible continued to descend, the crew lost the signal that indicated the depth and weight of the'Titan', but shortly afterwards contact was lost. According to the lawsuit, the 'Titan' had "lost weight" about 90 minutes after launch, suggesting the team had apparently tried to abort the dive. During the hearing, the first photo of the submersible wreck has been released to the public, showing a large portion of the hull sticking upright on the ocean floor. Report with photo: https://globalnews.ca/news/10759640/titan-sub-wreck-photo-image-coast-guard-hearing-titanic/

Submersible Titan may have been damaged under tow

An expert has suggested that the OceanGate Titan submersible might have become damaged as it was dragged out to the dive site by the 'Polar Prince'. The submersible was made from carbon fibre, which has raised concerns among experts, some even commenting on the experimental nature of the craft before it suffer the fatal implosion. The shape of the sub has raised concerns as well, with some suggesting that the decision to opt for a pill-shaped sub rather than a more traditional sphere was based on the number of passengers that could be taken rather than safety. Now, another expert has suggested that the submersible could have suffered some damage in rough seas as it was dragged behind the mothership on a platform to the dive site. The Titan did not have a designated mothership, meaning that the chartered 'Polar Prince' took them to the dive site from Newfoundland. Since the sub was destroyed, many concerns have come to light, including past worries about building the experimental sub out of carbon fibre. Experts have also raised concerns about why the Titan was not classified and had never been inspected by an independent testing body. So far, OceanGate has refused to comment on the disaster, and its website has been removed and replaced with a message that states: "OceanGate Expeditions has suspended all exploration and commercial operations."

Submersible with five aboard lost in catastrophic implosion

The 'Titan' launched by the 'Polar Prine' has suffered a “catastrophic implosion,” killing everyone on board, US Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger said on june 22. The tail cone and other debris from the submersible were found by a ROV about 1,600 feet from the bow of the 'Titanic' in a water depth of about 13,000 feet- The families were immediately notified. OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have died immediately. The news ends a saga that began on June 18 when the submersible began its descent to explore the wreckage of the RMS 'Titanic'. The cramped vessel lost contact with its mother ship about 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive and did not surface as expected. The last communication between the vessel and its mother ship came in at 11:47 a.m. With no GPS underwater, the submersible is only guided by text messages from the surface ship. The authorities will begin to demobilize the medical personnel and nine vessels involved in the search over the course of the next 24 hours, but remote operations will continue on the sea floor for an undetermined amount of time. The focus on the vessel has renewed criticisms of OceanGate’s approach to safety from employees and other industry leaders. The 23,000-pound deep-sea vessel was made of an experimental combination of carbon fiber and titanium and relied on decidedly low-tech parts, such as a video game controller. The submersible had an estimated 96 hours of life support. Issues with computer control were among the reasons Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown” host Josh Gates and his team decided after a 2021 test dive of 'Titan' against filming a segment on the vessel as it became clear to us at that time that there was a lot that needed to be worked out with the sub. It had issues with thrusters and issues with computer control a.o. Report with photos: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/22/us/submersible-titanic-oceangate-search-thursday/index.html