Background
The Titanic submarine, created by OceanGate Inc., was designed to transport five people to a depth of 4000 metres at the Titanic wreck site. OceanGate debuted the Titan in 2019 to conduct a scientific and technological survey of the Titanic wreck.
On Sunday, the Titan submersible, carried by OceanGate and carrying 5 passengers, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Pakistani Billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, British businessman Hamish Harding, and French deep sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, embarked on an exploration of the Titanic shipwreck. However, the submersible went missing 30 minutes after diving off the coast of St.Johns, Newfoundland.
The dive was originally planned as a two-hour exploration of the Titanic shipwreck.
Following this, a US Coast Guard-led 10000-square-mile search mission was initiated to locate the submersible Titan. Furthermore, search teams were called, which searched the surface as well as the seabed in the hope of finding any evidence of the submersible, but to no avail.
Recent developments
OceanGate on Thursday issued a statement stating that all five members of the missing Missing Titan submarine are believed to be dead.
The conclusion came after the estimated amount of oxygen in the vessel was believed to have run out, evidence of a catastrophic implosion was discovered, and debris from the submarine was found by the US Coast Guard.
The US Coast Guard spokesperson confirmed that the debris discovered near the Titanic wreckage was from the Titan submarine, which disappeared on Sunday.
The discovered debris consisted of five major pieces, including a tail cone outside the pressure hull, 1600 feet from the submerged Titanic bow.
OceanGate Inc. put out a statement condemning the loss, further stating that these people were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure and deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans, and also offering their condolences to the victim’s families.
They further expressed gratitude to volunteers from various organizations in the international community for facilitating wide-ranging resources and working tirelessly on the search mission.
The US Coast Guard also offered its condolences to the grieving families of the passengers.
The Titan’s search operation was a race against time as the submarine had only enough oxygen supply for 96 hours, and a lack of oxygen may have been a potential cause for the implosion.
What is the catastrophic implosion?
An implosion is the opposite of an explosion; when an object collapses within itself, it is called an implosion. The implosion caused in this case was believed to have occurred with incredible force and speed, facilitated by the crushing water pressure on the ocean floor amounting to almost 41000 kilopascals, as a result of which the supposed catastrophe had taken place.
Responses from all over the world
Condolences poured in from all over the world for the victims. The White House offered its condolences, and Pakistan also offered its condolences to the Dawood family and those of other passengers. The Harding family described the billionaire explorer as one of a kind and a passionate explorer. John Paschall,Nargeolet’s stepson, said that Paul was an incredible stepfather and will be remembered as one of the greatest deep-sea explorers in modern history.
Future of the search mission
The US Coast Guard will continue the search near the Titanic to gather more information about the fate of the submarine. US Coast Guard officials have said that there is no specific timeframe for the conclusion of this international search.
Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard expressed uncertainty about the possibility of recovering the bodies of the passengers, citing the unpredictable nature of the deep-sea environment as decreasing the likelihood of finding the bodies.
