That happened: After days of searching for the missing submersible, the US Coast Guard assumes that the five occupants are dead. The US Coast Guard had previously found debris from the submarine near the Titanic wreck. This means that there is no longer a chance of survival for the missing, said Coast Guard chief John Mauger. He expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
This was found: According to the coast guard, a remote-controlled underwater vehicle found the submersible’s stern cone on the seabed about 500 meters from the bow of the “Titanic” on Thursday morning. A total of five large pieces of debris were discovered. They indicated a collapse of the hyperbaric chamber.
The timing of the implosion: At the time of the implosion, the Coast Guard could not provide any information. Sonar buoys had not noticed a “catastrophic event” in the past 72 hours. Meanwhile, US media reported that a US Navy acoustic underwater detection system had probably already registered the implosion on Sunday.
Legend:
“I know there are a lot of questions about how, why and when exactly the implosion happened,” Mauger told the media.
REUTERS/Brian Snyder
In the event of an implosion, an object suddenly collapses if the external pressure is greater than the internal pressure and the force is inversely proportional to an explosion. Even the smallest structural defect can trigger such a catastrophe at great depths.
The hope through knocking noises: Underwater noise had meanwhile fueled hopes that the “Titan” occupants would survive. Regarding the knocking noises recorded underwater on Wednesday, Mauger said: “There does not appear to be any connection between the noise and the location on the seabed.”
The operating company says: Oceangate, the company that operates Titan, also sent condolences to the families. The five men on board were “real explorers”, with “a special spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the oceans of the world”. We mourn and our hearts are with the relatives, it said.
This is how the relatives reacted: The family of inmate Hamish Harding, who holds multiple Guinness World Records and has traveled to space, said: “What he has achieved in his life has been truly remarkable and if we can take any comfort from this tragedy, it is it’s that we lost him in what he loved.”
Legend:
On board the “Titan” were the Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet, the British adventurer Hamish Harding, the British-Pakistani management consultant Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman and the boss of the operating company Oceangate, Stockton Rush, who steered the boat.
Reuters/OCEANGATE EXPEDITIONS
Paul-Henri Nargeolet’s stepson also told CBS News that the sea was his second home. “I think it means a lot that he spent his final moments near a place that meant so much to him.”
This is how it goes on: The Coast Guard has announced that it is now scaling back its search. “We will begin to withdraw personnel and ships from the scene of the accident over the next 24 hours,” Mauger said. However, operations on the seabed would continue until further notice. At the moment the focus is on documenting the place. The data would be analyzed.
This could follow: In the face of reports of poor security for the missing submersible, experts expect consequences. “There will certainly be an investigation after this catastrophe, and much stricter rules and regulations will be introduced,” said the boss of the company White Star Memories, which specializes in “Titanic” exhibits.