New Delhi: “All is well” – these were the last words of the crew of an experimental submarine heading towards the wreck of the Titanic, as a visual reconstruction of the Titanic’s voyage shows, before the ship capsized and killed all five people on board.
America Coast Guard This animation was presented on Monday, the first day of a hearing on the causes of the explosion, which is expected to last two weeks. According to the presentation, the crew aboard Titan communicated with support staff aboard the Polar Prince via text messages.
The crew lost contact after the Polar Prince repeatedly asked about the submarine’s depth and weight, followed by repeated messages from support staff asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard displays. One of the Titan’s last responses, which faded as it descended, was “Everything is fine here.”
Looking at Titan’s history, Coast Guard officials said the vessel’s hull had never been inspected by a third party. Officials further said the submarine was left exposed to the weather and elements during storage for seven months between 2022 and 2023. Titan’s explosion in June 2023 sparked a worldwide debate about the future of private underwater exploration.
The Coast Guard revealed that the ongoing hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is aimed at “revealing the facts surrounding the incident and developing recommendations to prevent such tragedies in the future.”
The Marine Board of Inquiry investigation, currently underway, is the highest level of marine accident investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. At the conclusion of the hearing, recommendations will be submitted to the Commandant of the Coast Guard.
“There are no words to ease the loss that the families affected by this tragic incident have suffered,” said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard’s Office of Investigations, who led the hearing. “But we hope this hearing will help shed light on the causes of the tragedy and prevent any incidents like this from happening again.”
Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owns Titan, was also one of the crew members. The company suspended further operations after the explosion. Witnesses testifying on Monday include OceanGateTony Nissen, the former engineering director of the company; Bonnie Carl, the company’s former finance director; and former contractor Tim Catterson.
Some key OceanGate representatives do not plan to testify. They include Rush’s widow, Wendy Rush, who was the company’s communications director.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Melissa Leake said it is common for the Marine Board of Investigation “to hold multiple hearing sessions or take additional witness statements for complex cases.”
Witnesses scheduled to appear later in the hearing include OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohlen, former operations director David Lochridge and former scientific director Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Several Guard officials, scientists and government and industry officials are also expected to testify.
The US Coast Guard also called witnesses who were not government employees, the leak said.
Although OceanGate currently has no full-time employees, it will be represented by an attorney at the hearing, the company said in a statement. The statement added that the company has fully cooperated with the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board since their investigations began.
“There are no words to ease the loss felt by the families affected by this devastating incident, but we hope this hearing will help shed light on the causes of this tragedy,” the statement said.
Titan attracted attention and scrutiny in the undersea exploration sector due to its unconventional design and the choice by its manufacturer to forgo standard independent inspections. The explosion resulted in the deaths of Rush and veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeollet, as well as two members of a well-known Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, and British adventurer Hamish Harding.
Titan made its final dive on June 18, 2023, losing contact with its support ship about two hours later. When its delay was reported, rescue teams dispatched ships, aircraft and other equipment to an area about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The discovery of the submarine attracted global attention as the possibility diminished that anyone could have survived the explosion. Coast Guard officials later reported that the wreckage of the Titanic was found on the sea floor about 300 metres (330 yards) from Titanic’s bow.
The investigation was initially scheduled for a year, but took longer. In July, the Coast Guard said the hearing would look closely at “all aspects of the Titan’s loss,” including both mechanical considerations and compliance with regulations and the qualifications of crew members.
The Titan ship has been traveling to the Titanic wreck site since 2021.
America Coast Guard This animation was presented on Monday, the first day of a hearing on the causes of the explosion, which is expected to last two weeks. According to the presentation, the crew aboard Titan communicated with support staff aboard the Polar Prince via text messages.
The crew lost contact after the Polar Prince repeatedly asked about the submarine’s depth and weight, followed by repeated messages from support staff asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard displays. One of the Titan’s last responses, which faded as it descended, was “Everything is fine here.”
Looking at Titan’s history, Coast Guard officials said the vessel’s hull had never been inspected by a third party. Officials further said the submarine was left exposed to the weather and elements during storage for seven months between 2022 and 2023. Titan’s explosion in June 2023 sparked a worldwide debate about the future of private underwater exploration.
The Coast Guard revealed that the ongoing hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is aimed at “revealing the facts surrounding the incident and developing recommendations to prevent such tragedies in the future.”
The Marine Board of Inquiry investigation, currently underway, is the highest level of marine accident investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. At the conclusion of the hearing, recommendations will be submitted to the Commandant of the Coast Guard.
“There are no words to ease the loss that the families affected by this tragic incident have suffered,” said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard’s Office of Investigations, who led the hearing. “But we hope this hearing will help shed light on the causes of the tragedy and prevent any incidents like this from happening again.”
Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owns Titan, was also one of the crew members. The company suspended further operations after the explosion. Witnesses testifying on Monday include OceanGateTony Nissen, the former engineering director of the company; Bonnie Carl, the company’s former finance director; and former contractor Tim Catterson.
Some key OceanGate representatives do not plan to testify. They include Rush’s widow, Wendy Rush, who was the company’s communications director.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Melissa Leake said it is common for the Marine Board of Investigation “to hold multiple hearing sessions or take additional witness statements for complex cases.”
Witnesses scheduled to appear later in the hearing include OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohlen, former operations director David Lochridge and former scientific director Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Several Guard officials, scientists and government and industry officials are also expected to testify.
The US Coast Guard also called witnesses who were not government employees, the leak said.
Although OceanGate currently has no full-time employees, it will be represented by an attorney at the hearing, the company said in a statement. The statement added that the company has fully cooperated with the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board since their investigations began.
“There are no words to ease the loss felt by the families affected by this devastating incident, but we hope this hearing will help shed light on the causes of this tragedy,” the statement said.
Titan attracted attention and scrutiny in the undersea exploration sector due to its unconventional design and the choice by its manufacturer to forgo standard independent inspections. The explosion resulted in the deaths of Rush and veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeollet, as well as two members of a well-known Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, and British adventurer Hamish Harding.
Titan made its final dive on June 18, 2023, losing contact with its support ship about two hours later. When its delay was reported, rescue teams dispatched ships, aircraft and other equipment to an area about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The discovery of the submarine attracted global attention as the possibility diminished that anyone could have survived the explosion. Coast Guard officials later reported that the wreckage of the Titanic was found on the sea floor about 300 metres (330 yards) from Titanic’s bow.
The investigation was initially scheduled for a year, but took longer. In July, the Coast Guard said the hearing would look closely at “all aspects of the Titan’s loss,” including both mechanical considerations and compliance with regulations and the qualifications of crew members.
The Titan ship has been traveling to the Titanic wreck site since 2021.
