The last messages from the doomed Titan Submarine, paint a picture of tranquility just moments before disaster. One of the final messages from the crew of the experimental submersible on its way to the Titanic wreck was, “all good here,” according to a visual re-creation of the Titan’s journey before its implosion, which resulted in the deaths of all five individuals on board.
On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard showcased an animation on the first day of what is anticipated to be a two-week hearing regarding the causes of the implosion. According to the presentation, the Titan Crew were communicating via text messages with staff aboard the support ship Polar Prince.
The crew lost communication following a series of text exchanges regarding the submersible’s depth and weight during its descent. The Polar Prince subsequently sent multiple messages asking whether the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display. One of Titan’s last responses, which became increasingly vague as it descended, was, “all good here.”
OceanGate, the Washington-based company responsible for the submersible, along with its founder, Stockton Rush, has faced criticism for putting profits ahead of safety, as passengers paid $250,000 for the doomed dives.
The incident is being investigated by the US Coast Guard. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.
Coast Guard representatives stated in their opening remarks that the Titan was left unprotected from the elements during its seven months of storage in 2022 and 2023. They also noted that the hull had not undergone any third-party review, which is typically standard practice.
The lead engineer for the submersible, Tony Nissen, testified that he felt pressured to get the vessel ready to dive and refused to pilot it for a journey several years earlier. However, he said that he did not think that the pressure compromised safety processes and testing.
Nissen claimed that the Titan was hit by lightning during a test mission in 2018, which could have weakened its hull. He also said that he was fired in 2019, the same year he refused to allow the submersible to go to the Titanic. He also said that he was not content with the testing done by the operations staff and subsequently denied to pilot the craft when asked to by the founder Stockton Rush.
Nissen testified that the founder, and one among those who were killed, Stockton Rush could be challenging to work with, and was frequently focused on costs and project timelines, among other matters. He noted that Rush would advocate strongly for what he wanted, which often shifted from day to day. Nissen also mentioned that he tried to keep his disagreements with Rush private to prevent others in the company from noticing.
Nissen was the first witness to testify in the hearing on Monday. The company’s former finance director, Bonnie Carl and former contractor Tym Catterson are scheduled to speak. OceanGate released a statement saying that the company has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing.
Who were the 5 killed in the Titan Submersible?
The Titan submersible was primarily designed for deep-sea exploration, specifically to visit the wreck of the Titanic. The doomed customers were offered a unique experience to dive to the Titanic wreck, located about 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the ocean surface. It was also aimed at conducting surveys and creating 3D models of the Titanic wreckage to enhance understanding of the site .
The five individuals were wealthy explorers from different parts of the world. They were Oceangate founder Stockton Rush, British businessman Hamish Harding, French maritime expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and British Pakistani Businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.
Stockton Rush was the founder and chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions, the company that operated the submersible. He was piloting the vessel. He founded OceanGate in 2009.
Hamish Harding holds several Guinness World Records, including one for the longest time spent traversing the deepest part of the ocean on a single dive. He wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday that he was proud to announce that he had joined OceanGate’s mission “on the sub going down to the Titanic.” Harding was the chairman of Action Aviation, a sales and air operations company based in Dubai.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet had been on more than 35 dives to the Titanic wreck site. Nargeolet was the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, Inc., an American company that owns the salvage rights to the famous wreck and displays many of the artifacts in Titanic exhibitions.
The British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman, 19, were members of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families.
Manbilas Singh is a talented writer and journalist who focuses on the finer details in every story and values integrity above everything. A self-proclaimed sleuth, he strives to expose the fine print behind seemingly mundane activities and aims to uncover the truth that is hidden from the general public. In his time away from work, he is a music aficionado and a nerd who revels in video & board games, books and Formula 1.
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