New Video Footage of Titan Submarine Released Showing Wreckage on Ocean Floor After Implosion
A dramatic new video of the OceanGate Titan submarine wreckage on the ocean floor was released as part of the Coast Guard hearings that resumed on Thursday, September 19, looking into the tragedy that killed five people.
The video was taken by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at a depth of 3,776 meters, or 12,389 feet, showing mangled metal in the sand at the bottom of the ocean. The hull appeared partially intact in the two-minute video, along with pieces from the rear dome nearby.
“We’re releasing more footage of the Titan salvage ahead of technical testimony and exhibits,” the Coast Guard wrote alongside the footage released late on Wednesday, September 18. “Transparency remains our priority as we provide context and information to the public.”
The additional footage comes after video of the severed tail cone embedded on the ocean floor was released on Tuesday, September 17. “This video led to the conclusive evidence of the catastrophic loss of the submersible Titan and the death of all five members aboard,” the Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation — which is holding the public hearings — wrote next to the video.
The Titan was on a deep-sea mission in the North Atlantic Ocean to view the wreckage of the Titanic when contact was lost on June 18, 2023, approximately one hour and 45 minutes into the dive.
Deep sea explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet, OceanGate cofounder Stockton Rush, British businessman Hamish Hardin, Pakistani businessman and philanthropist Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleiman, died after the sub imploded not far from the wreckage of the Titanic.
On Monday, September 16, the MBI began the multiday hearings regarding the Titan disaster, releasing the final text messages from the doomed submersible to its surface support ship, Polar Prince.
The sub began its dive at approximately 9:20 a.m. local time. After 40 minutes of seemingly routine communications with who was believed to be Nargeolet, the ship asked the submersible if they could see the Titanic. After 15 minutes passed without a response, the Titan acknowledged it had received the communications, while the Polar Prince replied, “I need better comms from you.”
When asked by the vessel’s crew if they could see the display of the Polar Prince on the ocean surface above, the Titan replied, “yes” and, “all good here.”
Nearly 10 minutes later, the Titan passengers said they were “east south east [of] the nbow,” which Coast Guard investigators believe referred to the Titanic’s wreckage.
The Titan had its last contact with the Polar Prince at a depth of just over two miles. Nargeolet said they had “dropped two wts,” referring to their weights, at 10:47 a.m. Thirty-two seconds later, all contact was lost with the sub.
Debris from the Titan was discovered on the ocean floor on June 22, 2023, approximately 500 meters from the wreckage of the Titanic. The Coast Guard confirmed on June 29, 2023, that “presumed human remains” were found “within the wreckage.”
The MBI’s hearings hope to “uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
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