OceanGate Titanic submersible debris leaves a long trail of unanswered questions
The Titan might have imploded long before the search operations had begun. (Photo: OceanGate)
The missing deep-sea tourist submersible, OceanGate's Titan carrying five individuals on an exploration of the Titanic wreck was discovered in fragments by an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) deployed from a Canadian ship on June 22. The debris gives clues into what might have been the fate of the submersible: that it suffered a catastrophic implosion. All five people onboard have died, said OceanGate.
The submersible had five individuals including Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman, as well as British billionaire businessman and explorer Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush himself.
The multi-nation joint lookout spanning five days came to a tragic end as the US Coast Guard announced the devastating news.
The Titanic wreck-hunting submersible, Titan, disappeared on Sunday, June 18, within 1 hour and 45 minutes of its dive off its mothership Polar Prince in the North Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The five people aboard the Titan submersible that went missing during a tourist expedition to the Titanic's wreckage died in a 'catastrophic implosion,' the US Coast Guard said https://t.co/qXplboMu3z pic.twitter.com/vc5h04w4J3
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 23, 2023
Debris field reveals Titan's fate
- The robotic ROV deployed from the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic found two debris fields belonging to the 6.7 metre submersible Titan.
- According to the US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger, the wreckage was located approximately 480 metres from the bow of the Titanic, resting 4 km beneath the surface in the freezing North Atlantic.
- Coast Guard officials confirmed the presence of five major fragments in the debris, including the tail cone, landing frame and parts of the pressure hull.
- The nature of the debris field indicated a catastrophic implosion of the vehicle.
All aboard are dead
- The devastating news was further confirmed by OceanGate, the company that owns the submersible, in a press release.
- The founder and CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, who was manning the Titan, along with four others, lost their lives in the tragic incident.
— OceanGate Expeditions (@OceanGateExped) June 22, 2023
- The bodily remains of these individuals have not been located or recovered as the nature of the implosion suggested by the recovered debris points to their instant death by high pressure long before the rescue and search operations had begun.
- The Admiral said, "We will begin to demobilise personnel and vessels from the scene over the course of the next 24 hours."
Pouring tributes
- Following the news of the discovery, the family of Hamish Harding paid tribute to "a dedicated father" who "lived his life for his family, his business, and the next adventure."
- "It is with profound grief that we announce the passing of Shahzada and Suleman Dawood," the Dawood family said in a statement on Twitter. The Dawood family also expressed gratitude towards all who were a part of the united effort.
— Dawood Foundation (@DawoodTdf) June 22, 2023
- After the news broke, the former French navy commander Paul-Henri Nargeolet's family issued a statement saying he will be remembered as "one of the greatest deep-sea explorers in modern history".
Multinational search collaboration
- Search teams and support personnel from the United States, Canada, France, and Britain joined forces to conduct a thorough search operation.
- Over the course of several days, they scanned around 26,000 sq km of open seas using planes and ships in the hopes of finding any sign of the ill-fated submersible.
- The debris was discovered by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) belonging to Massachusetts-based Pelagic Research Services.
- Odysseus 6K, the ROV, can operate at extreme depths of 6,000 metres and is equipped with lights, cameras, and two robotic arms.
What we know about the Horizon Arctic ROV
— Nino Brodin (@Orgetorix) June 22, 2023
The debris patch was found by an ROV from the Horizon Arctic, a Canadian commercial vessel which arrived last night near the Titanic wreckage site.
It was loaded with support equipment and was also carrying an Odysseus 6k ROV that can… pic.twitter.com/PMmk7hdAPF
Questions and analysis
- The questions arising regarding the Titan's safety add up to the earlier concerns about the submersible diving to depths beyond its capacity.
- It was after eight long hours of the Titan losing communication with its mothership that Canadian rescue vehicles joined the Polar Prince. The delay in communication between the mothership and the authorities remains unanswered so far.
- OceanGate too, has not responded to the enquiries on the timeline of events on Sunday, June 18.
- According to Salvatore Mercogliano, a history professor at Campbell University in North Carolina, the voyagers did not ring alarm bells as soon as they lost communication, but waited for it to be re-established or the Titan to resurface. “They’ve lost communications before. And so what it appears is when they lost communications, they did not assume that this was a disaster at all,” Mercogliano told AP.
Likewise, the mothership Polar Prince too waited long before raising an emergency alarm.
- Naval analyst, Norman Polmar flagged another concern regarding the non-standardisation of alarm protocols in commercial vehicles, unlike military ships.
- An analysis of acoustic data by the US Navy (deployed to gather information about atomic attacks) revealed an anomaly in line with an implosion or explosion near the submersible's location, around the same time when Titan's communication was lost with its mothership.
IMO, the US Navy that detected acoustic data indicating an anomaly consistent with the sub imploding weren't sure and it was only when they finally discovered the debris that was the Titan on the floor of the ocean that they could confirm it. I'm just trying to be fair here.
— Anonymous Because You People Are Crazy (@AnonBecauseOf) June 23, 2023
- The disappearance of the Argentinian naval submarine off the coast of San Juan in 2017 was a similar incident, said BBC correspondent Jonathan Amos.
- Among the reports that OceanGate ignored the safety protocols at different levels, a question arises if the families of the deceased can file a lawsuit against Oceangate.
- However, it is said that all onboard had to sign a waiver prior to the expedition. "Everyone on board knew this wasn't a vacation or sightseeing; that it was really an exploration into the unknown at one of the deepest points on the planet," a personal injury attorney Miguel Custodio told DailyMail.
The Titanic legacy
- The news of the submersible's tragic fate attracted worldwide attention, partly due to the historical significance of the Titanic.
- The "unsinkable" Titanic has captivated the world's imagination for more than a century, with numerous accounts, both factual and fictional, recounting its story.
- The recent incident rekindled interest in the Titanic, drawing parallels between the modern tragedy and the enduring legacy of the ill-fated ship, as Titanic director James Cameron pointed out. Cameron expressed regret for not flagging the Titanic shipwreck exploration effort, which he thought was a 'bad idea' earlier.
- Now it is to be seen if the incident discourages others from taking the Titanic expedition by OceanGate, which probably is the only service ferrying tourists to the Titanic wreck site.