Titan, a submarine run by the American tourist and adventures company OceanGate, collapsed during an expedition to explore the Titanic’s remains in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, on June 18, 2023. Stockton Rush, the American CEO of OceanGate, was on board, as was Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French deep-sea explorer and Titanic expert; Hamish Harding, a British businessman; Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani-British businessman; and Dawood’s son Suleman.
According to the US Coast Guard, the submersible “Titan,” which had captured much of the world’s attention over the past week, underwent a “catastrophic implosion.” According to police, the five people on board are likely to have killed during the implosion.
Communication between Titan and its mother ship, Polar Prince, was lost 1 hour 45 minutes into the dive. Authorities were notified when it failed to reappear at the expected time later that day. After the submersible had been lost for four days, a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) uncovered a debris field comprising Titan components, around 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the Titanic’s bow. The search area was informed by the United States Navy’s (USN) sonar detection of an acoustic signature consistent with an implosion around the time communications with the submersible ceased, implying that the pressure hull imploded while Titan was descending, killing all five occupants instantly.
An international team lead by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the United States Navy (USN), and the Canadian Coast Guard performed the search and rescue mission. Aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United States Air National Guard, as well as a Royal Canadian Navy ship and various commercial and research vessels and ROVs, gave assistance.
Several industry experts had expressed worries about the vessel’s safety. OceanGate leaders, including Rush, had refused to seek Titan certification, claiming that onerous safety standards and regulations hampered innovation.
