The first picture of the infamous OceanGate ‘Titan’ submersible that imploded in June 2023 has been released by the US Coast Guard as investigations into the deaths continue.
In June last year, five victims perished when the submersible imploded under the intense ocean pressure off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The victims were explorer Hamish Harding, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
In a hearing on Monday, new details about the implosion of the submersible — and the company behind it — were revealed.
The first publicly revealed image of the wreckage shows the vessel’s tail cone on the ocean floor, surrounded by debris.
This “conclusive evidence” supports the theory that the Titan experienced a “catastrophic explosion”, according to the Marine Board of Investigation.
The hearing also revealed text messages sent by the Titan crew in the moments before the vessel lost contact.
In a message sent to the Polar Prince — a nearby support boat — the Titan crew said that things were “all good here” as it continued to descend.
The final message from the Titan indicated that the vessel had “dropped two wts” in an attempt to return to the surface. Ultimately, the vessel would never return to the surface.
Other former OceanGate employees also testified on Monday, revealing a concerning inside look at the company.
Tym Catterson, a former contractor for the company, said he had concerns about the Titan’s carbon fiber and titanium build, and would not have felt comfortable travelling in the vessel himself.
“I don’t believe that the composites are the correct material for a pressure vessel that’s experiencing external compression,” he said, noting that he had voiced his concerns to several employees.
Additionally, former engineering director Tony Nissen claims that he was rushed and “100 percent” under pressure from senior management to get the vessel in the water as soon as possible.
The hearing is expected to continue for two weeks in the hope of uncovering the facts of the fatal incident, as well as any potential “misconduct or negligence”.
The victims of the Titan submarine were killed on an expedition to see the wreckage of the “unsinkable” Titanic that has rested on the bottom of the north Atlantic Ocean since 1912.
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