Video: New footage revealed of Titan sub’s hull wreckage
Image courtesy of US Coast Guard/Pelagic Research Services.
Recently released footage from the US Coast Guard reveals the wreckage of the Titan submersible, including its tail cone, resting on the ocean floor. The deep-sea vessel imploded in June 2023, killing all five passengers aboard during its descent to the Titanic wreck.
A public hearing opened this week in Charleston, South Carolina, following a multi-agency investigation into the causes of the disaster and potential safety concerns surrounding OceanGate.
The five victims of the implosion were British adventurer Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, the company that operated the sub.
Former OceanGate operations director David Lochridge testified that he had raised multiple safety concerns about the Titan prior to the tragedy, which he believed could have been prevented had proper action been taken. Lochridge expressed doubts about the vessel’s carbon fibre and titanium construction and claimed that OceanGate had flouted safety standards in pursuit of profit. Lochridge also drew attention a previous incident in 2016, where Rush lost control of another submersible during an expedition.
Footage taken by The Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) was presented at the hearing, including images of the tail cone and debris scattered on the seabed, confirming the vessel’s catastrophic implosion. Investigators have a attempted to recreate the final moments of the Titan, which had encountered communication difficulties with its support ship, the Polar Prince, before contact was lost. One of the final messages from the Titan crew was “all good here” followed by a text stating that the vessel had “dropped two weights” in an attempt to surface.
Testimony from former OceanGate staff further highlighted concerns about the vessel’s design. Tony Nissen, OceanGate’s former engineering director, testified that he felt pressured by higher-ups to rush the Titan into the water. Contractor Tym Catterson has also raised doubts about the suitability of the sub’s materials for deep-sea pressure.
The hearing, which is expected to last two weeks, aims to investigate whether any misconduct or negligence contributed to the disaster. It comes over a year after the submersible’s implosion during its mission to view the Titanic wreck, which lies deep in the north Atlantic.
