A pall of sorrow settled upon the coastal town of St John's as the Titanic submersible rescue ships returned to port bearing the weight of the loss of five men.
Chief among the four vessels today was the MV Polar Prince, the mothership that towed the doomed underwater vehicle into the Atlantic Ocean before its “catastrophic implosion”.
As soon as the boat was secured at the dockside, it was boarded at 8am ET by a team of US and Canadian federal investigators who are now set to determine how the implosion took place.
A coastguard source told the Sunday Mirror: “None of the crew was allowed to disembark until all had been interviewed by investigators.
“Both US and Canadian governments are taking the death of the five men extremely seriously and want to know every detail about how they came to die.
"Canada’s Transportation Safety Board and the US National Transportation Safety Board have both sent investigators to the Polar Prince.”
The ship's return came as criticism continued to mount about the safety of the Titan as experts and past passengers - who paid up to £195,000 a ticket - continued to question the sub’s owners and the vessel's safety.
As the Polar Prince pulled into St Johns at 6.30am ET, gone from behind the former icebreaker was the barge upon which the submersible, called Titan, had sat eight days earlier when it was taken out to the wreck site.
It suffered a structural failure close to the ill-fated liner, which lies 12,500ft from the surface of the sea bed.
The Titanic tourists on board died instantly, experts have said.
The men - three of whom were British - set off filled with hope and adventure to the cursed Titanic, but their loss has cast a shadow of grief over the entire community.
It is understood relatives of the deceased - Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman Dawood, 19, Hamish Harding, 58, the sub’s American boss Stockton Rush, 61, and French Navy veteran Paul-Henri (PH) Nargeolet, 77 - were in St John’s when the ships arrived home.
Hours ahead of the Polar Prince's arrival into St John’s Harbour were the Canadian coastguard ships, Ann Harvey and Terry Fox and offshore vessel, Skandi Vinland.
All had taken part in the mammoth search and rescue operation that involved British, American and Canadian personnel.
The news of the men's deaths has struck a devastating blow to the hearts of those who had clung to a flickering flame of hope.
What began as a daring mission to rescue trapped tourists was yesterday a poignant reminder of the fragility of life and the harsh realities that lurk beneath the waves.
As the rescue ships approached the harbour one by one, a heavy silence enveloped St John's, broken only by the mournful sound of the ship's engines piercing through the night.
Several locals, their faces etched with sorrow, lined the shores to pay their respects to the fallen.
John McKenna, 77, told the paper: “None of us wanted this outcome.
“We hoped beyond hope the men would all come back safe but the Titanic curse once again plague our town.”
The ships, once symbols of bravery and rescue, now bore the burden of tragedy.
Their arrival marked the end of a valiant effort, but also served as a stark reminder of the profound loss that had unfolded beneath the unforgiving Atlantic.
The dimmed lights of the vessels seemed to mirror the collective sorrow that now engulfed large parts of this coastal town.
Embracing the shadows, the ships docked in the embrace of night, safe from the savagery of the Atlantic a few hundred yards out the protective harbour walls.
The grief that emanated from the returning ships was palpable, shown in the faces of the crew members who were the last to see the men alive.
Their sombre expressions mirrored the anguish felt by the entire community, as they grappled with the weight of the collective failure to rescue those in need.
