Titanic sub mishap: Bodies of Titan tourists may never be found
The five crew members of the Titanic submersible may never be recovered from the ocean where they tragically drowned.
The Coast Guard has confirmed that shattered pieces of the Titan submersible were found 500 metres from Titanic’s bow. When OceanGate Expeditions found fragments of the Titan on the ocean floor, its search for the vessel came to an end. Despite the fact that military planes detected what may have been distress signals after their deaths, it is likely the crew died before rescue efforts were initiated.
According to Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard, an implosion would have produced a powerful, broadband sound that sonar buoys could have picked up. In order to witness the famous shipwreck, these men, including British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, paid $250,000 each.
In the search for crew members’ remains, deep-sea experts expressed little hope of finding them due to “the unforgiving environment” of the ocean depths. A deep-sea expert commented, “This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there… I do not have an answer for prospects at this time.” The debris found indicates that the submersible’s main body was lost.
Among those who died were OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet. In a statement, they described the men as true explorers who shared a passion for the oceans and requested privacy for the grieving families of the men. In addition, the company expressed gratitude for the support provided by the international community during the search.
There was a glimmer of hope when the search teams heard constant banging noises earlier. It remains unclear what caused the sound and how it was connected to the crew’s distress signals. It was widely believed that there would be a miraculous rescue despite the experts’ warnings that the Titanic submarine might implode under immense pressure.
Rear Admiral John Mauger acknowledged the crew’s will to live in the final hours of the 96-hour oxygen window. Coast Guard response time has drawn criticism, with relatives of the crew expressing concern about the delay in reporting Titan’s disappearance.
Many organizations and nations participated in the search and rescue mission, even after oxygen supplies were depleted. Nevertheless, the chances of a successful rescue decreased as time passed. In the depths of the ocean, explorers face many risks and challenges. This tragedy serves as a sombre reminder of those challenges.