Before the OceanGate Titan submersible sank, its crew experienced communication problems with the crew on the surface in the Atlantic Ocean, and one of the last words transmitted to land was, “All is well here.”
Nearly 15 months after British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, father and son Shahzada Daoud and Suleiman Daoud, and French sailor Paul-Henry Narjolet died when OceanGate's submersible Titan imploded as it was sinking toward the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard offered details about their final moments at the start of days of public hearings into the investigation.
The U.S. Coast Guard released the animation on Monday, the first day of a two-week hearing into the cause of the explosion.
The five men on board the Titan kept in contact via text message with the crew of the Polar Prince, the support ship that towed the submersible to the site of the ill-fated Titanic's sinking.
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An image taken in June 2023 of Titan's tail cone, submerged at the bottom of the ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard/Peer Survey Service)
The Polar Prince set sail from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada at approximately 9 a.m. on June 16, 2023. The two ships carrying the Titan arrived at the Titanic's site on the morning of June 18.
The submersible began its descent toward the Titanic just before 9:20 a.m. that morning, with crews on both ships communicating via text message.
At 9:53 a.m., the Polar Prince asked the Titan crew if they could see the Polar Prince on the displays inside the submersible. The Titan crew did not respond, and after 15 minutes and six more messages, the crew did reply.
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On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible suffered an implosion while submerged to inspect the Titanic. (Coast Guard)
The Polar Prince told the Titan crew that they needed better communications.
The person who responded from the Titan identified himself as “PH,” and the Coast Guard believes he was Nalgeorette.
At the time, Titan was approximately 2,275 metres deep and had reached a pressure of 3,337 psi.
When asked if she would be able to see the Polar Prince on display, Narjolet replied, “Sure.”
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On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible suffered an implosion while submerged to inspect the Titanic. (Coast Guard)
Communications continued between the two ships, with the Polar Prince inquiring of Titan's location and reminding her to note the location and time when deploying the “Niskin bottles.”
At 10:41 a.m., the Titan crew informed the Polar Prince crew that they would not be deploying the bottles because they had not been cleaned.
At 10:47 a.m., Titan notified the Polar Prince crew that it had dropped two weights.
Moments later, the Titan collapsed.
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This file image provided by OceanGate shows the Titan submersible descending into the ocean. (Ocean Gate Expeditions)
The Coast Guard said communication and tracking with the Polar Prince from the submersible was lost at a depth of 3,346 metres just before 10:48 a.m.
That morning's explosion sparked a global debate about the future of civilian undersea exploration.
The Coast Guard report said the sub was exposed to the elements during seven months of storage in 2022 and 2023, but the hull was never inspected by a third party, which is standard procedure.
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This file image provided by OceanGate shows the Titan submersible descending into the ocean. (Ocean Gate Expeditions)
The submersible's unconventional design has also drawn intense scrutiny from those in the undersea exploration community.
Tony Nissen, Ocean Gate's former director of engineering, was the first to testify at Monday's hearing and said he felt rushed to get the operation underway during his time at the company. Asked if there was pressure to put the Titan out to sea, Nissen replied, “100 percent.”
The Marine Board also asked the former engineering director whether the pressures had compromised safety judgment or testing. Nissen paused for a long time and then replied, “No. … That's a hard question to answer, because if you have infinite time and infinite budget, you can do infinite testing.”
Nissen testified that the Titan was struck by lightning during a test mission in 2018, possibly causing damage to the hull. Nissen said he was fired in 2019, the same year he refused to send the Titan to the Titanic. He told Rush that the Titan “was not performing the way we thought it would.”
The missing Titanic submarine has been found, its crew killed in a deep sea disaster, the Coast Guard said.
FILE PHOTO: The railing from Titanic's port bow, photographed earlier this month as part of a joint scientific and recovery expedition sponsored by the Discovery Channel and RMS Titanic, lies in 12,600 feet of water about 400 miles east of Nova Scotia. Scientists plan to illuminate and raise sections of the legendary luxury liner's hull later this month. (Reuters/File Photo/File Photo)
Nissen testified that the submersible was then scheduled to undergo additional testing and adjustments before its next dive into the Titanic. But he told the committee on Monday that he didn't trust the ship's steering staff and that when Rush asked him to pilot the submersible, he said “I'm not going in.”
Nissen said Rush was difficult to work with and was often very concerned about costs and project timelines, and that Rush would fight for what he wanted, which often changed from day to day.
“Most people end up moving back to Stockton,” he said.
The ongoing Marine Accident Investigation Board is the highest level of investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. Once completed, recommendations will be submitted to the Commandant of the Coast Guard. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the matter.
“There are no words that can ease the pain experienced by the families of the victims of this tragic incident,” said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard's Investigative Service, which led the hearing, “but we hope this hearing will shed light on what caused the tragedy and help prevent something like this from happening again.”
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Ocean Gate Exhibitions CEO Stockton Rush poses in Times Square on April 12, 2017 in New York City. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
Also scheduled to speak were the company's former financial director, Bonnie Karl, and former contractor, Tim Catterson.
Two hours after the Titan's final descent, contact with the support vessel was lost, sparking a massive search and rescue operation involving rescue ships, aircraft and other equipment, about 435 miles south of St. John's, Newfoundland.
The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention as the possibility of any survivors from the explosion became increasingly slim. The wreckage of the Titanic was later discovered on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) from the ship's bow, Coast Guard officials said.
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The investigation, originally scheduled to last a year, has taken longer, and the Coast Guard said in July that the hearings would look into “all aspects of the Titan's sinking,” including mechanical issues, compliance with regulations and the qualifications of the crew.
Titan has been sailing to the Titanic wreck site since 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
