The crew of an exploratory underwater vehicle destined for the wreckage site of the Titanic last communicated “all is well,” as recreated visually to narrate the underwater journey of the Titan before it tragically collapsed, killing all five occupants.
The animation was revealed by the US coast guard on Monday, kickstarting a fortnight-long hearing to understand the reason for the catastrophe. Tony Nissen, the ex-head of engineering at OceanGate Expeditions and the first witness of the hearing, affirmed that he had declined to steer the submersible.
Among the deceased were British explorer Hamish Harding, father-and-son duo Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, CEO of OceanGate Stockton Rush, and a French national named Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Shahzada Dawood, a London-based entrepreneur and advisor to the Prince’s Trust International, a charity guided by the King, was particularly involved with its operations in Pakistan. His 19-year-old son was studying at Strathclyde University in Glasgow.
The Titan’s crew were in constant text communication with assisting teams on the Polar Prince, as stated in the presentation. Contact was lost following several questions about the submersible’s depth and load from the Polar Prince during its descent. The Polar Prince continued to inquire if the ship could still be seen on Titan’s on-board display. In response, one of Titan’s last messages, which got increasingly patchy as they descended, was “all good here.”
Coastguard officials also shared a summary history of the Titan. They confirmed that the craft’s hull was never inspected by a third party and the submersible was left exposed to weather conditions whilst stored for seven months in 2022 and 2023.
The Titan’s implosion in June 2023 sparked a global discussion on the future of private undersea voyages.
The objective of the proceeding in Charleston County, South Carolina, according to the coast guard, is to discern the details of the incident and formulate suggestions to avert similar catastrophes in upcoming times. Their announcement was made earlier this month.
Mr Nissen, the first to testify in the case, stated on Monday that the Titan was hit by lightning during a trial run in 2018, potentially damaging its structure. In 2019, Nissen was dismissed for refusing to allow the submersible to travel to the Titanic, informing Mr Rush that it was not functioning as anticipated. Following this, Nissen confirmed that the submersible underwent further evaluations and modifications prior to its subsequent Titanic dives. He was, however, requested to commandeer the submersible, to which he unequivocally declined.
Nissen expressed his feeling of being pushed to commence operations while at the company. Asked whether there had been urgency to dispatch the Titan, he confirmed this was the case. Probed regarding whether this rush affected safety measures and testing, after hesitation, he denied this, stating that unlimited time and resources could lead to unlimited testing.
Working under Mr Rush, according to Nissen, was challenging. He mentioned Mr Rush’s preoccupations with costs, project timelines and other elements, as well his tendency to enforce his frequently varying desires. Nissen admitted to keeping his disputes with Rush private to prevent company-wide knowledge.
The Marine Board of Investigation, currently underway, is the most substantive level of maritime disaster probe undertaken by the coast guard. After the hearing, recommendations will be given to the coast guard’s commodore.
Jason Neubauer from the Coast Guard Office of Investigations commented that this tragic incident has caused irrevocable loss to the affected families, but expressed hope that the proceeding could help identify the cause and prevent future similar occurrences. Mr Rush co-established OceanGate, the Washington state company that owned the Titan, whose operations were terminated following the incident.
The upcoming Monday hearing is set to include testimonies from Tony Nissen, ex-director of engineering at OceanGate; Bonnie Carl, the firm’s previous finance and HR director; and Tym Catterson, a former contractor. Ms Carl divulged on Monday her awareness regarding the Titan’s safety issues, revealing that David Lochridge, the operations director, had deemed it “unsafe”. Mr Lochridge is expected to give his testimony on Tuesday.
Mr Catterson, who was in cooperation with OceanGate, conveyed to the marine board on Monday that “improvements could have been made in seafaring training and operations”. However, some pivotal OceanGate personnel are not on the testimony schedule, including Wendy Rush, the company’s communications director and bereaved wife of Mr Rush.
Melissa Leake, the coast guard’s spokesperson, refrained from explaining why specific individuals aren’t called to each distinctive hearing as the investigation is still ongoing. She reiterated it is usual for the Marine Board of Investigation to “organise multiple severity hearings or conduct more witness inquiries for intricate cases”.
Expected to testify later in the hearing are Guillermo Sohnlein, OceanGate’s cofounder; David Lochridge, the ex-operations director; and Steven Ross, the previous scientific director, as listed by the coast guard. Various coast guard officials, scientists, along with governmental and industry representatives are also slated to testify.
The US Coast guard has summoned witnesses who aren’t governmental employees, as Ms Leake pointed out. OceanGate, despite having no full-time staff presently, will have legal representation during the hearing, the company announced in an official statement. The statement further disclosed that the company has been thoroughly cooperating with both the coast guard and National Transportation Safety Board inquiries since their inception.
In the company’s statement, it was added, “The tremendous loss experienced by the impacted families is irreplaceable, but we anticipate this hearing will reveal the cause of this tragic event.” The Titan raised eyebrows in the underwater exploration sector partly due to its unconventional structure and the designer’s choice to bypass routine independent validations.
The Titan embarked on its ultimate journey on the 18th of June, 2023, but approximately two hours later connection was lost with the assistance vessel. The submersible was reported to be missing and in response, rescuers promptly dispatched boats, aircraft, and other rescue units to a locale roughly 700 kilometres to the south of St John’s, Newfoundland.
The submersible’s misfortune grabbed global attention, as the odds of anyone surviving the capsule’s implosion seemed highly improbable. Officials from the coast guard later discovered the Titan’s debris on the seabed approximately 300 metres from the Titanic’s bow.
Initially, a one-year timeframe was set for the investigation, but the inquiry has actually lasted longer. The following month, in July, the coast guard announced that the probe would study “all aspects of the Titan’s disappearance”, covering mechanical issues, regulatory compliance and the qualifications of the crew members.
Since 2021, the Titan had been conducting trips to the wreck site of the Titanic.