Titan sub malfunctioned just prior to Titanic dive, scientific director says
OceanGate: Footage of Titan sub wreckage revealed
The first footage showing the wreckage of OceanGate Expeditions' Titan submersible has been released since the vessel’s implosion last year. The U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) unveiled the video during a public hearing in North Charleston, South Carolina. The footage, captured by a remotely operated vehicle, shows the results of the catastrophic implosion of the 22-foot submersible on June 18, 2023, resulting in the tragic loss of all five people aboard. LiveNOW's Andrew Craft spoke about the hearing with maritime expert Sal Mercogliano.
The scientific director of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year, killing everyone on board, revealed that the sub experienced a malfunction prior to its fatal dive.
Steven Ross appeared before a U.S. Coast Guard panel investigating the incident on Thursday and recalled that the sub experienced a platform issue just days before the Titan was set to dive to the Titanic wreckage site.
Prior malfunction caused passengers to ‘tumble about’
A platform issue caused the experimental submersible to send passengers tumbling about.
It took an hour to get them out of the water, Ross said.
The submersible pilot, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into bulkheading during the malfunction.
"One passenger was hanging upside down. The other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap," Ross said, adding that he did not know if an assessment of the Titan hull was performed after the incident.
What happened?
Full timeline: Titan submersible’s final dive
This animation, created for the Marine Board of Investigation Titan submersible hearing, shows the Titan's position and messages to the surface during its fateful dive. The dive portion starts about 2 minutes into the video. (U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary animation by Gary T. Markle)
On June 18, 2023, an OceanGate submersible named Titan was carrying five people for an excursion to the Titanic wreckage.
During the submersible’s final dive, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the Titan’s depth and weight as it descended. The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.
One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, "all good here," according to a visual recreation presented earlier in the hearing.
When the submersible was reported missing, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Four days later, wreckage of the Titan was found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.
No one on board survived.
Who was on board?
The implosion killed two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood; British adventurer Hamish Harding; Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet; and Rush, the sub’s pilot.
US Coast Guard opens high-level investigation into implosion
Earlier this month, the Coast Guard opened a public hearing that is part of a high-level investigation into the cause of the implosion. The public hearing began Sept. 16 and some of the testimony has focused on problems the company had prior to the fatal 2023 dive.
Investigators also released underwater footage of the submersible wreck. The footage shows the submersible's tail cone and other debris on the ocean floor.
During the hearing, former OceanGate operations director David Lochridge said he frequently clashed with Rush and felt the company was committed only to making money.
"The whole idea behind the company was to make money," Lochridge testified. "There was very little in the way of science."
The hearing is expected to run through Friday with more witnesses still to come and resume next week.