Titan sub hearings live: Map shows how close OceanGate ship was to Titanic wreckage as testimony is set to end today
US Coast Guard’s two-week long hearing into the disastrous Titan submersible voyage operated by OceanGate enters its final day
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
A new map shows just how close the Titan sub was to the Titanic wreckage before disaster hit.
While the Titan’s last known position before the implosion was 1,600ft away from the bow of the Titanic, its debris was found much closer to the bow at 300m away, Coast Guard officials said.
The map was one of several pieces of new information that came out of testimony during public hearings with the US Coast Guard on Thursday. Testimony in the agency’s investigation into the June 2023 disaster is set to conclude today.
Former OceanGate employee Matthew McCoy, Captain Jamie Frederick of the Coast Guard Sector Boston and Coast Guard Search and Rescue Specialist Scott Talbot are all set to testify.
John Winters worked with OceanGate to evaluate the safety of its Antipodes vessel. On Thursday, Winters testified to the Titan Marine Board of Investigation that OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush Rush “did express on multiple occasions that regulations were stifling his innovation process.”
Despite that, OceanGate “never attempted to circumvent any regulations,” Winters added.
Ex-OceanGate employee Matthew McCoy begins giving testimony
Matthew McCoy, a former member of the US Coast Guard before working for OceanGate from April 2017, is the first witness of the day to begin testifying.
Titan hearing begins, despite power outage due to storm Helene
Jason Neubauer of the Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis Deputy Chief began the hearing’s final daily opening at 9am ET.
The inquiry at Charleston County Council Building, South Carolina, was predicted to be delayed due to Hurricane Helene making landfall in Florida on Thursday evening.
Despite a power outage, Neubauer says, the hearing is now under way.
Coast Guard captain who led Titan search and rescue efforts will testify later this morning
A member of the US Coast Guard who oversaw the rescue mission of the Titan submersible in June 2023 is set to testify today.
Captain Jamie Frederick will give testimony at approximately 10.45am ET in front of Titan Marine Board of Investigation’s panel.
Frederick, of the First Coast Guard District Response Department, regularly spoke to press to provide information on the search for the Titan and its five passengers on board.
Schedule: Three witnesses set to testify on hearing’s final day
Three more witnesses, including a final ex-OceanGate employee, are set to testify in front of Titan Marine Board of Investigation on Friday morning.
Matthew McCoy, who worked for the submersible company, will testify at 9am ET. Captain Jamie Frederick of the Coast Guard Sector Boston will address the Coast Guard’s panel at 10.45am, before Rescue Specialist Scott Talbot is due to give testimony at 1.30pm.
Closing remarks will be made at 3.15pm before the final breakdown at 5.15pm.
Titan debris 300m from Titanic site
New maps show just how close the Titan sub was to the Titanic wreck site before disaster hit.
While the Titan’s last known position before the implosion was 1,600ft away from the bow of the Titanic, its debris was found much closer to the bow at 300m away, Coast Guard officials said.
Maps were released on Thursday showing the distance between the two.
US Coast Guard to hold final day of hearings into Titan disaster
The US Coast Guard’s two-week long hearing into the Titan submersible is set to conclude today.
Friday’s hearing will begin with testimony from Commander Zachary Roberston of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center.
Then, the board will hear from Captain Jamie Frederick with the Coast Guard Sector Boston. Frederick was involved with the Titan search efforts and regularly provided updates to the media last summer.
The final witness will be Scott Talbot, a search and rescue specialist with the Coast Guard.
After the final witness, the board will hear closing statements.
Follow along here for live updates when the hearing begins.
Live coverage to resume Friday morning
Live blog coverage of the Titan submersible investigative hearings is paused until the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation reconvenes on Friday morning.
OceanGate co-founder claims milestone in quest to put humans on Venus
The OceanGate co-founder has claimed the latest milestone in his quest to colonise Venus as the inquiry into the Titan submersible disaster continues.
Read more:
OceanGate co-founder claims milestone in quest to put humans on Venus
Guillermo Söhnlein shared a post about a new “biopod” with its own climate system that could be used to help humans thrive on the otherwise uninhabitable planet.
Recap: Coast Guard inspector testifies
John Winters with the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound testified today, revealing his interactions with OceanGate and Stockton Rush.
Former OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush complained to Winters several times about the Coast Guard’s regulatory processes, he testified.
“He did express on multiple occasions that regulations were stifling his innovation process,” Winters said of his conversations with Rush.
Despite this, OceanGate “never attempted to circumvent any regulations,” Winters added.
Winters worked to evaluate the safety of OceanGate’s Antipodes vessel. OceanGate wanted to obtain a small passenger vessel certification from the Coast Guard but did not receive it, Winters said.
He also revealed that OceanGate did not ask the Coast Guard to inspect the doomed Titan vessel that imploded last year.
Shock photo shows how Titan submersible fell apart two years before implosion
This week’s hearings revealed that, in 2021, the dome part of the doomed Titan vessel fell off after a dive.
That vessel would go on to catastrophically fail two years later, imploding underwater and killing all five people on board.
Learn more about the 2021 malfunction from The Independent:
Shock photo shows how Titan submersible fell apart before implosion
‘This was never sold as a Disney ride,’ a former passenger claimed
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments