On June 18, a catastrophic event unfolded as the OceanGate submersible known as the Titan imploded on its voyage to explore the Titanic wreckage, resulting in the loss of all five passengers on board.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the retrieval of “presumed human remains” from the debris on June 28, beginning an intense examination.
Among the victims were Stockton Rush, 61, the CEO of OceanGate, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, a French Titanic expert, Hamish Harding, 58, a British magnate, and the influential Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, along with his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19.
The ill-fated Titan, which was on a mission to explore the infamous 1912 shipwreck, was subjected to a widespread search as people worldwide eagerly awaited news of its status before the oxygen ran out. It is worth noting that Rush, the pilot of the 22-foot submersible, was often accused of disregarding safety protocols in his pursuit of affluent tourists willing to pay a quarter of a million dollars each for the unique experience.
After the recovery ship docked in Canada, the Coast Guard obtained the seafloor debris and evidence from the disaster site. Bystanders observed large parts of the mangled wreckage being hoisted onto the dock by a crane.
Pelagic Research Services, a U.S. firm, reported that its team had tirelessly worked 24/7 over ten days, confronting “physical and mental challenges” to recover the wreckage. The team used specialized remote-operated vehicles to find the shattered sub about 12,500 feet below the surface, just a few hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage.
The U.S. military branch launched a comprehensive search for the remains following the sub’s disastrous implosion. The Coast Guard stressed the need to recover the debris for further investigation and testing to ascertain the cause of the incident. The trigger behind the fatal implosion, potentially identified by a top-secret U.S. Navy acoustic detection system hours after the Titan began its descent, is still a mystery.