What happened to the OceanGate Titan submersible?
It's been a year since the OceanGate Titan submersible tragically disappeared during a mission to visit the wreck of the Titanic.
It's been a year since the OceanGate Titan submersible tragically disappeared during a mission to visit the wreck of the Titanic.
It was later discovered that it had imploded after entering the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, resulting in the loss of all five crew members aboard.
The disappearance of the submersible prompted a large-scale search operation, racing against time, and garnered global attention after losing contact on 18 June 2023. Authorities scoured the area, hoping for a breakthrough in the search for the Titan.
The unprecedented scale of the operation and the uncertainty surrounding the submersible's fate kept the world on edge. Finally, remnants of the OceanGate Titan were discovered deep on the ocean floor, confirming the submersible's loss.
It was revealed that five people were killed when the sub, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, imploded off the coast of Canada.
The five men who died were British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman, 19; British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, 58; French deep-sea diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, 61.
Yahoo News UK takes a look at the timeline of events during the disaster and in the year afterwards:
June 2023
16 June, 2023:
The expedition, costing £197,00 ($250,000) per passenger, departs from St John's, Newfoundland, Canada.
17 June, 2023:
Harding announces on Facebook that due to severe weather conditions, this expedition is likely to be the only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. They plan to attempt a dive the following day if the weather is favourable.
18 June, 2023:
Communication with the submersible is lost one hour and 45 minutes after its descent, and it fails to return to the surface.
19 June, 2023:
US and Canadian ships and aircraft conduct search operations. Commercial vessels are also requested to assist.
The US Coast Guard is leading search efforts and Rear Admiral John W Mauger estimates there is 70 to 96 hours left to find the sub before it runs out of air.
20 June, 2023:
The family of businessman Shahzada Dawood confirm he is aboard with his 19-year-old son Suleman. They ask for prayers for their safety.
Canadian aircraft detect sounds in the area of the submersible.
22 June, 2023:
Rough deadline for when the air in the submersible is set to run out.
Debris from the Titan submersible is found near the Titanic wreckage. The US Coast Guard reports that the submersible's pressure chamber imploded, and there are no survivors.
24 and 25 June, 2023
The US and Canadian federal governments announce their investigations of the incident.
28 June, 2023
Wreckage from Titan is brought to St. John's.
July 2023
OceanGate announces it is ceasing operations on 2 July.
The New Yorker magazine reveals David Lochridge, OceanGate's former director of marine operations, was sacked after he raised concerns about the safety of the submersible.
It reported that, in an email in January 2018 to deep sea exploration specialist Rob McCallum, Lochridge wrote: “I would consider myself pretty ballsy when it comes to doing things that are dangerous, but that sub is an accident waiting to happen.
Watch: Titanic submersible: Friend of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush says he created a 'mousetrap for billionaires'
"There’s no way on Earth you could have paid me to dive the thing.”
Referring to Rush, Lochridge wrote: “I don’t want to be seen as a tattle tale but I’m so worried he kills himself and others in the quest to boost his ego.”
It also emerged that Rush once dismissed a loud bang heard from the Titan submersible.
October 2023
It was revealed on 4 October that all debris had been “removed and transferred” from the ocean floor.
The Coast Guard says: “The recovered evidence was successfully transferred to a US port for cataloguing and analysis.
“Additional presumed human remains were carefully recovered from within Titan’s debris and transported for analysis by US medical professionals.”
November 2023
The US Coast Guard announces a review of the evidence was carried out on 8 November.
May 2024
The Coast Guard says the investigation is in its “fact-finding” stage in a major update.
A spokesperson adds: “The Titan Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) remains in the fact-finding phase of the investigation and is collecting all relevant evidence and information.
“A projected completion date is not available.
“The latter part of the fact-finding phase will include a public hearing, and the MBI will provide at least 60 days’ notice ahead of the public hearing.”
June 2024
The Coast Guard reveals on 14 June that the investigation will take longer than expected due to "the need to contract two salvage missions to secure vital evidence and the extensive forensic testing required."
Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation Chair Jason Neubauer said in a statement: "The investigation into the implosion of the Titan submersible is a complex and ongoing effort,"
"We are working closely with our domestic and international partners to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the incident."
The report was meant to be released within a year of the disaster.
