Fatal Titan Submersible Implosion: Hearings Begin

Titan sub imploded, five died

The first image of the Titan submersible, which tragically imploded in June 2023, was released by the US Coast Guard on Monday as part of a public hearing regarding the deaths of the five people onboard.

The victims—British explorer Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, and French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet—died when the submersible collapsed under intense ocean pressure near Newfoundland, Canada.

The hearing provided new details about the implosion and OceanGate, the company behind the Titan. The image shows the sub’s broken tail cone on the Atlantic Ocean floor, along with debris scattered nearby. Recovery crews confirmed the “catastrophic implosion” based on this evidence. Additionally, text messages between the Titan’s crew and a nearby support ship, the Polar Prince, shed further light on the events leading up to the disaster.

During its ill-fated journey, the Titan submersible was asked by the Polar Prince if it could still see the support ship on its display. The Titan crew replied with “all good here” as the submersible continued its descent. In a final message, the crew reported “dropped two wts,” indicating that they had jettisoned two weights in an attempt to ascend.

OceanGate, the company behind the Titan, has faced intense scrutiny. Witnesses have expressed concerns about the vessel’s construction before its final voyage. Tony Nissen, former engineering director at OceanGate, testified that he felt pressured to hasten the Titan’s launch, stating he “100%” felt pressure from superiors. Tym Catterson, a contractor for OceanGate, expressed discomfort with the vessel’s carbon fiber and titanium construction, questioning their suitability for handling external pressure. He had previously shared his concerns with several OceanGate employees.

The hearing, which began on Monday and is set to last two weeks, aims to “uncover the facts” surrounding the fatal implosion of the Titan submersible, according to Jason Neubauer, chair of the Marine Board of Investigation. The investigation will also examine whether any “misconduct or negligence” occurred on the part of mariners licensed by the US.

The Titan’s passengers were on a deep-sea dive to explore the wreck of the Titanic, the British ocean liner famously deemed “practically unsinkable” before it sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 people.