Authorities have released the chilling first photo of the Titan sub remains on the ocean floor. Last summer, on June 18, the OceanGate Titan submersible took off on a voyage to explore the wreck of the Titanic. However, within hours after the descent, the vessel lost contact with the surface. It was later declared that the submersible had ultimately imploded in the Atlantic Ocean.
More than a year later, the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation began the hearing into what caused the implosion that killed all five people on board. Among the people onboard the Titan included the OceanGate co-founder and CEO, Stockton Rush. The other passengers were British explorer Hamish Hardin, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman.
Authorities release Titan submersible wreck photo after 2023 implosion
On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard officials provided a look inside the final moments of the Titan submersible. They released the Titan sub’s photo of the debris that was later discovered on the ocean floor. During the presentation, the Coast Guard also showed the animation of the Titan and its support ship, the Polar Prince, depicting the final dive and how the tragedy occurred. It included the final communication between the two vessels before the sub went silent into the ocean.
People Magazine reported that a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used to obtain the photo of Titan’s remains. The debris was discovered on June 22, 2023, four days after the vessel lost contact. The submersible’s tail cone was found more than 12,000 feet below the surface, sitting on the ocean floor. The officials presented the photo as the “conclusive evidence of a catastrophic loss” of the vessel and confirmed the death of the passengers on board.
Titan had begun its descent at 9:20 a.m. local time off the coast of Canada. The presentation also revealed that before the communication was lost, the Polar Prince had asked about the Titan’s status. It read, “Status? do you see polar prince on your display?” The sub responded, “yes,” and added, “all good here.” Titan’s final message was received at 10:47 a.m. It read that the vessel had “dropped two wts,” reportedly referring to its weights.
Following the incident, OceanGate suspended its exploration and commercial operations.
