Why did Titan, the OceanGate submersible that historically imploded a couple of weeks ago, succumb to the grisly fate it did?
In a major press conference Friday designed to provide insight into the tragedy, the man who arrived first on the scene of the wreckage described exactly what he thought went wrong.
With many theories circling the internet about the cause of Titan's implosion, Pelagic Research Services Chief Executive Ed Cassano believes the cause was as straight forward as it gets — the sub was "pushed beyond its depth rate."
In other words, the sub should not have ventured so deep into the ocean. Doing so caused it to crack under the pressure, then implode, killing the five passengers instantly.
Despite his opinion about the sub's deep-sea viability, Cassano said he and his team were still holding out hope that the passengers onboard were still alive.
"Sadly, a rescue turned into a recovery," he said.
He recalls the moment they decided to dispatch Odysseus 6K, his firm's remotely operated underwater vehicle.
"We wish the call never came, but we wanted to be ready when it did."
The vessel has heavy lifting capabilities and a 4K camera — the perfect device for fishing the Titan's wreckage off the sea floor.
Cassano also said he had "no opinion" regarding OceanGate's deep-sea operations, specifically its dangerous dives, which he said he had been aware of before the fatal incident occurred.
"Explorers...people who seek to go to depth... we certainly share those desires...It was a passion and joy for exploration," he said.
