Titan Submarine Crushed, 5 People on Board Killed

The U.S. Coast Guard has reported that the debris collected indicates the Titan submersible was “catastrophically imploded,” resulting in the deaths of all five individuals on board.

During a press conference in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 22 (early June 23 Hanoi time), Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard stated that an underwater remotely operated vehicle deployed from a Canadian ship discovered debris from the Titan submersible approximately 488 meters from the wreck of the Titanic, at a depth of nearly 4,000 meters in the North Atlantic Ocean.

According to officials, five main pieces of the 6.7-meter-long submersible have been found among the remaining debris following the vessel’s disintegration. “The debris indicates that a catastrophic implosion occurred in the pressure chamber,” Mauger said.

Just before the U.S. Coast Guard’s press conference, OceanGate, the company operating the Titan submersible, released a statement confirming that there were no survivors, including the company’s founder and CEO, Stockton Rush, who was operating the vessel.

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard at a press conference in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 22. Photo: Reuters

The other passengers included British billionaire and explorer Hamish Harding, 58, Pakistani-born businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, both British citizens, as well as French oceanographer and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, who had visited the wreck dozens of times.

“They were true explorers, sharing a spirit of adventure and passion for discovery, dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts go out to them and their families during this tragic time,” the company stated.

Rear Admiral Mauger mentioned that it is still too early to determine the exact moment the Titan encountered trouble. Search teams have deployed underwater acoustic buoys in the area for over three days without detecting any loud, violent noises that could indicate the submersible was imploded.

However, the location of the debris is relatively close to the Titanic wreck, and the timing of the last communication with the Titan suggests the incident occurred as the vessel was preparing to descend to the ocean floor on June 18.

Acoustic buoys picked up some sounds on June 20 and 21, raising hopes that the Titan remained intact and that those on board were trying to signal by banging on the hull. However, analysis indicated that the sounds could have originated from something else.

“There appears to be no correlation between the noise and the location of the debris on the ocean floor,” Mauger said.

According to him, the search team and vessels will soon leave the site after a four-day multinational operation, but autonomous devices will continue to collect evidence from the ocean floor. It is currently unclear whether the bodies of the victims can be recovered due to the nature of the accident and the harsh conditions at that depth.

“On behalf of the U.S. Coast Guard and the entire search command center, I extend my deepest condolences to the families,” the U.S. Admiral added.

From left to right: Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush, victims of the Titan submersible. (Photo: CNN)

The Wall Street Journal quoted an unnamed official stating that a secret underwater sound monitoring device operated by the U.S. Navy recorded an implosion at the time the Titan went missing in the Atlantic Ocean. This device is designed to detect submarines.

“The U.S. Navy analyzed the acoustic data and detected anomalies consistent with an implosion in the vicinity where the Titan was operating when it lost contact,” the official said.

According to Reuters, the U.S. Coast Guard has not reported any sightings of human remains. The bodies of the five passengers may never be recovered from the Atlantic Ocean.

The Titan submersible went missing on June 18 while carrying five people on a tour of the Titanic wreck at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, about 600 kilometers from Newfoundland, Canada. According to the company’s website, underwater expeditions to the Titanic wreck have been conducted by OceanGate since 2021, at a cost of $250,000 per person.