OceanGate Expeditions, the tour company searching for its Titan submersible, which was descending the ocean to reach the wreckage of the Titanic, has confirmed that all on board are presumed dead.
Marine debris from the submersible was located on the ocean floor about 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreck site on Thursday, June 22.
Findings from the discovered landing frame and back cover of the submersible at an approximate depth of 12,500 feet suggest that the vessel succumbed to a rupture and succumbed to the immense underwater pressure, causing the immediate death of all five crew members.
OceanGate mourns the loss of its CEO, Stockton Rush, and crew members Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, and Shahzada Dawood along with his son Suleman Dawood. These individuals were admired for their adventurous spirit and commitment to ocean preservation. The company extended its deepest sympathies to the victims’ families and appealed for respect for their privacy during this devastating period.
David Mearns, a friend of two of the deceased, affirmed the grim reality, pointing out that the crew would have been unaware of their impending death. The discovery of debris has dealt a severe blow to the hopes of a miraculous survival.
Prior to the incident, experts had warned about the possibility of submersible leakage and implosion due to the overwhelming underwater pressure.
The search for the submersible involved a collaborative effort from various organizations, with the Horizon Arctic, a Canadian vessel, deploying the Odysseus 6k remote-operated vehicle (ROV) for deep-sea exploration. Consistent banging sounds were detected during the search, but their origin remains a mystery.
The eight-hour delay in reporting the submersible’s disappearance has drawn criticism from the family of Hamish Harding, a British billionaire among the crew.
