Rest in peace.
Titan in Tatters
Officials have pulled what's left of OceanGate's imploded submersible — and possibly the remains of its crew of five passengers — from the Atlantic Ocean in St John's, Newfoundland, the US Coast Guard announced.
Images and footage from the Canadian press show large pieces of debris being loaded onto a vehicle, including what appear to be fragments of the sub's hull, as well as the dome surrounding the sub's only porthole.
The company behind the recovery effort, Pelagic Research Services, wouldn't confirm to the New York Times that the debris belonged to the Titan, referring reporters to the US Coast Guard instead.
That's likely because investigations are ongoing and officials are still trying to piece together exactly what happened during the tragedy — efforts that could drag on for quite some time.
Debris and presumed human remains from the Titan submersible have been recovered and returned to land, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday, nearly a week after a search-and-rescue operation ended and the vessel’s five passengers were presumed dead. https://t.co/6NJiKLON93 pic.twitter.com/YGo9xmwuMO
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 28, 2023
The Depths
According to what we know so far, the sub most likely imploded catastrophically just hours after leaving its support ship Polar Prince, roughly a third of a mile from the wreck of the Titanic.
Officials now have a vast jigsaw puzzle to solve as they collect the evidence. Carl Hartsfield, an underwater vehicle designer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told the NYT that it was "highly unlikely" that the submersible had a central data recorder in case of a disaster.
Other data such as sonar recordings, however, could allow investigators to get a more accurate picture of what happened.
And we may have to wait for quite some time until we get some answers. Hartsfield told the newspaper that it might take 18 to 24 months to conclude the investigation.
The tragic incident has raised plenty of questions surrounding OceanGate CEO Rush Stockton's leadership and his decision to operate the vessel without any certification or third-party review.
Was his well-documented lack of concern for safety what ultimately led to the Titan's — and his own — demise? For now, we'll have to wait until we know more.
More on the submersible: OceanGate CEO Bragged About Using Expired Carbon Fiber to Build Doomed Sub
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