Surprising cause of death revealed for missing Titan sub crew
The five trapped passengers on the missing Titan submersible are believed to be dead after searchers discovered a “debris field” on the ocean floor.
The debris found is consistent with a “catastrophic implosion” of the Titan, US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said.
The first significant piece of debris found was the tail cone of the Titan — located about 487m from the bow of the Titanic.
“In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” Mauger said.
Five pieces of debris were discovered by authorities.
Undersea expert Paul Hankin said discovering the front bell of the Titan’s pressure hull within the debris field was the first sign of a “catastrophic event”.
The Titan lost communication with its support ship just one hour and 45 minutes into its descent to the Titanic wreckage.
Mauger said in the early stages it’s difficult to tell how soon after losing contact the submersible was likely to have imploded.
He also said investigations of the debris field will continue as they search for answers as to how, why, and when the implosion occured.
“I will just remind everybody this is something that happened in a remote portion of the ocean with people from several different countries around the world, so it is a complex case to work through,” he said.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company that operated the Titanic-bound submersible, said on June 22 — four days after the dive commenced — that it believed all five people on board are dead.
“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” OceanGate said.
“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.
“Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
Mauger added he hoped the discovery of the debris gave the passenger's families some “solace during this difficult time”.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the families, I can only imagine what this has been like for them.”
Two of the Titanic-bound passengers Harding and Nargeolet were both members of international organisation The Explorer’s Club.
Following the company’s announcement that those on board are presumably deceased, Club president Richard Garriott de Cayeux said, “Our hearts are broken”.
“Hamish Harding is a dear friend to me personally and to The Explorers Club. Paul-Henri Nargeolet was elected to the Club in 2001 and was one of the foremost experts on submersible expeditions to the Titanic.
“They were both drawn to explore, like so many of us, and did so in the name of meaningful science for the betterment of mankind.”
Garriott de Cayeux also said that OceanGate chief executive Rush had conducted lectures at the Club’s headquarters in New York City.
“Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and exploration.”
Miawpukek Horizon Maritime Services, a co-owner of the Polar Prince — the Titan’s support vessel that was first to notify authorities it had lost communication with the sub — offered condolences to the passenger's families.
“We are saddened by today’s tragic news as we have continued to work towards and hold out hope for their safe return,” it said.
The University of Strathclyde in Glasgow confirmed that 19-year-old Suleman Dawood was a student.
“To the Strathclyde community, I write to you with a heavy heart to share the news that one of our students, Suleman Dawood, is a passenger on board the submersible that is missing in the North Atlantic,” the university said.
“Suleman is a Strathclyde Business School student and has just completed his first year with us.”
The University has not yet commenced after the news of Suleman’s death.
Image credit: Getty