The “Titan” submersible that went missing Sunday morning has imploded according to the United States Coast Guard. The five occupants are believed to have died in the tragic implosion.
This information comes from the US Coast Guard who collaborated with the Canadian Coast Guard and other organizations to look for signs of the submersible.
At a Thursday press conference held by the US Coast Guard, it was said that five large pieces of debris were found 1,600 feet from the sunken Titanic. The submersible was built by the diving company, OceanGate, which provides expeditions around the wreckage of the well-known ship, the Titanic which sank in 1912.
The submersible named, Titan, took off for this paid tour on Sunday morning, off the coast of St. Johns in Newfoundland, Canada. Titan was led into the North Atlantic Ocean by its Canadian mothership, the Polar Prince. 1 hour and 45 minutes after submerging itself underwater, Titan stopped communicating with OceanGate’s team and could not be reached.
Soon after Titan’s disappearance from radars, rescue operations were executed by government agencies and volunteers. Aircrafts, sonars, and ships were used throughout the search that spanned thousands of miles. Even a remote operated vehicle was used to help find the debris deep in the sea.
Time was also very important for this rescue effort. On Tuesday, the US Coast Guard said that the occupants had 40 hours of oxygen left. Titan had started out with 96 hours’ worth of oxygen. The oxygen supply was expected to run out Thursday morning.
Titan was a 22 foot submersible made of carbon fiber and titanium. The five occupants who each paid $250,000 for the tour, were situated close together inside the vehicle which was bolted in from the outside. The submersible was equipped with touchscreens and was controlled by a Bluetooth game controller.
The five occupants were Hamish Harding, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, and Stockton Rush.
Harding was chairman of the aircraft company, Action Aviation. Nargeolet was a French diver and former navy captain who had explored the Titanic wreckage multiple times. Stockton Rush was Titan’s pilot and the CEO of OceanGate. Shahzada Dawood was a billionaire British-Pakistani businessman who was vice-chairman of the Engro Corporation. Dawood was on board Titan with his 19-year old son, Suleman, who was a college student.
At Thursday’s press conference, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said, “the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Upon this determination we immediately notified the families. On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command I offer my deepest condolences to the families.”
