Titan sub hearing live: Final text before Titanic-bound submersible imploded revealed
The first of 10 former OceanGate employees took the stand during the Titan Marine Board of Investigation’s first hearing to ‘uncover facts’ and detect any ‘criminal activity’ related to the doomed deep-sea voyage
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A public hearing began today into the Titan submersible’s disastrous deep-sea voyage following its implosion on its journey to the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five passengers on board.
Ten former employees of Oceangate – the US submersible company that operated the expedition – are among 24 witnesses giving testimony to the Titan Marine Board of Investigation.
An animation of the Titan’s fated journey revealed a chilling final communications between the Titan and the support vessel Polar Prince. The support vessel repeated the same question, prompting that team to ask for “better comms” from the Titan crew. In one of its final messages, the crew wrote: “all good here.”
The Titan sub was attempting to dive 2.4 miles to reach the Titanic shipwreck which lies 380 miles from St John’s in Newfoundland, Canada, when it lost contact on June 18 2023. After four days, debris of the submersible was found close to the wreck.
The implosion claimed the lives of British explorer Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush and French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The investigation will detect whether there was criminal activity or “negligence by credentialed mariners,” Jason Neubauer, Titan Marine Board of Investigation’s chairman, said on Sunday.
The Coast Guard will hear from former OceanGate employees about the Titan implosion
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Final messages revealed from the Titan sub before tragic implosion
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MBI lays out alleged shortcomings in Titan’s design and testing
The MBI’s presentation is revealing the series of complications and failures that the Titan prototype faced from 2017 onward.
The MBI made mentions to the vessel’s notorious carbon hull, an atypical material used for a deep-sea vessel, which saw “no third party oversight” and “no non-destructive testing.”
The Titan was tested at 1.09x the operating pressure, but the industry standard is 1.25x the operating pressure once every five years, the board said.
From June 28 to August 6, 2021, 10 dives were attempted — but only six were successful to the Titanic depth, with 70 equipment issues “requiring correcting,” according to MBI.
A year later, from June 14 to July 25, there were 13 dives attempted but only seven were successful. This time there were 48 equipment issues, including drop weights malfunction. From July 26 to February 6, 2023, the vessel was then stored uncovered in a dock “without protection from the elements.”
Who died in the implosion?
Founder Stockton Rush, 61, French explorer Paul Henri Nargeolet, 77, British explorer Hamish Harding, 58, UK-based Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman all lost their lives in the doomed vessel.
What the MBI is investigating:
- Potential failure of material (physical or design) was involved or contributed to the casualty
- Potential misconduct, inattention, negligence, willful violation off the law
- Potential evidence that Coast Guard representatives or other government personnel were involved
NTSB will also investigate
The NTSB is also sitting in on the hearing.
It will determine a cause independent of the Coast Guard and will issue safety protocols if necessary.
First Titan submersible hearing kicks off
Marine Board of the Investigation (MBI) chair Jason Neubauer kicked off the hearing by underscoring the purpose of the hearing is to “investigate the circumstances surrounding the loss of the submersible.”
He expressed his sympathies to the five who lost their lives on the fated mission.
The investigation will look for “factors” that led to this catastrophe and try to learn how to prevent them in the future as well as examine whether the “acts of misconduct, negligence, or willful violation of the law” contributed to these casualties. The hearings will also investigate the Coast Guard’s search and rescue operations.
The MBI will send its findings to the commandant of the Coast Guard.
What to expect at today’s hearing
8:30 a.m. – Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. – 5 Minute Recess
9:15 a.m. – Overview of Incident and Voyage Animation
9:45 a.m. – 10 Minute Recess
10:00 a.m. – Tony Nissen, former OceanGate Engineering Director
12:30 p.m. – Lunch
1:30 p.m. – Bonnie Carl, former OceanGate Human Resources/Finance Director
3:30 p.m. – 10 Minute Recess
3:45 p.m. – Tym Catterson, former OceanGate contractor
5:15 p.m. – Break Down
Titan sub hearing to start imminently
The public hearing into the Titan submersible’s disastrous deep-sea voyage following its implosion en route to the Titanic wreck last year is set to start in just minutes.
Opening remarks begin at about 8.30am ET in Charleston County, South Carolina followed by a 30-minute overview of the incident before evidence is given from three witnesses throughout the day - all of whom are former OceanGate staff or suppliers.
A break down of the day’s events will take place at approximately 5.15pm to wrap up proceedings.
Watch: Moment wreckage of missing sub found
In pictures: Five men killed in Titan sub implosion
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