Log of “Titan” Sub Crew’s Final Words Deemed Fake, Investigation Finds: Report

Abigail Adams
·2-min read

Five people, including OceanGate's CEO Stockton Rush, were onboard the vessel when it imploded in the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023

<p>Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</p> The Titan submersible from OceanGate that imploded in June 2023

Ocean Gate / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The Titan submersible from OceanGate that imploded in June 2023

A purported log of the Titan submersible crew's final words has reportedly been deemed fake.

A federal team of investigators “found no evidence” that the five people onboard the Titan sub on June 18, 2023 were aware of the pending implosion, according to The New York Times.

The transcript, which began circulating online just days after the submersible went missing in the Atlantic Ocean, offered a detailed timeline of the supposed events and conversations leading up to the implosion.

“I’m confident it’s a false transcript,” said Captain Jason Neubauer, a retired member of the U.S. Coast Guard who serves as chairman of the Marine Board of Investigation. “It was made up.”

Related: New 'Titan' Sub Documentary Highlights Audio of Rhythmic Knocking Heard During Search

<p> EyePress News/Shutterstock</p> The Titan submersible that imploded in the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023

EyePress News/Shutterstock

The Titan submersible that imploded in the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023

The transcript that circulated the internet after the Titan’s disappearance suggested the submersible’s passengers warned their mothership of alarms going off inside the vessel shortly before the implosion.

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However, federal investigators obtained records of the real communications between the submersible and the Polar Prince, which apparently disprove the viral transcript’s accuracy.

“Somebody did it well enough to make it look plausible,” Neubauer said.

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

<p>HANDOUT/OceanGate Expeditions/AFP via Getty</p> The Titan submersible, which imploded while exploring the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023

HANDOUT/OceanGate Expeditions/AFP via Getty

The Titan submersible, which imploded while exploring the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023

The Titan sub was venturing to the bottom of the ocean to view the Titanic wreckage when it lost contact with Canadian expedition vessel Polar Prince about an hour and 45 minutes into its dive.

Crews began searching for the submersible a short time later. It took four days to locate the wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

All five people onboard the submersible — OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, billionaire Hamish Harding and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet — died.

Related: Loved Ones of 5 'Titan' Submersible Victims Pay Tribute: 'We Are United in Grief'

Neubauer said the investigation into the Titan’s implosion was one of the most complicated he has experienced through decades of work, according to the Times.

Some parts of the investigation have been complicated by several factors, including the involvement of multiple international agencies, he added.

A full report on the implosion could take two to three years to complete.

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