OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan submersible, which was attempting to reach the wreckage of the Titanic, has confirmed that all on board are believed to be dead.
On June 22, ocean floor debris from the submersible was found approximately 1,600 feet from the Titanic ruins. The remnants of the Titan’s landing frame and rear cover were discovered at a depth of 12,500 feet. In addition, fragments of the pressure hull, the main body of the submersible, were found. The recovered debris suggests that the vessel underwent a structural failure, imploding due to the immense underwater pressure and leading to the immediate deaths of all five men on board.
The company mourns the loss of CEO Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman Dawood. Their adventurous nature and dedication to oceanic exploration and preservation were highly esteemed. Heartfelt condolences have been extended to their grieving families, with a request for privacy in this sorrowful period.
David Mearns, a friend of two crew members, acknowledged the bleak reality, stating that the victims would have been oblivious to their imminent deaths. The debris discovery extinguished hope for a miraculous rescue.
There had been prior warnings about the potential for the submersible to leak and implode under the extreme oceanic pressure. The exact circumstances of the crew’s demise remain undisclosed.
The search for the Titan was a collaborative effort involving multiple organizations, with the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic deploying the Odysseus 6k remote-operated vehicle (ROV) to probe the ocean depths. Despite detecting repetitive banging noises, their origin could not be identified.
As the submersible’s 96-hour oxygen supply neared depletion, the world anxiously awaited updates.
Hamish Harding’s family has criticized the eight-hour delay in reporting the submersible’s disappearance.
Despite the dimming hope and mounting challenges, the search mission remained relentless, although experts expressed doubts about a successful rescue.