Startling images have surfaced showing the aftermath of the catastrophic Titan submersible implosion that tragically claimed five lives in a mission to explore the wreck of the Titanic.
The eerie photographs display the deteriorated husks of the submersible scattered along the seabed, labelled by the US Coast Guard to show their original positions on the vessel. A detailed snapshot focuses on one of the fragments, illustrating the frailties and the severe consequences of the fatal implosion.
Adding context to these visuals, the Coast Guard previously shared a video portraying a substantial segment of the Titan mostly intact amongst debris and wires on the ocean floor. These visual elements were made public subsequent to Dr. Don Kramer, an engineer with the National Transportation Safety Board, delivering testimony on the submersible’s safety measures.
Karl Stanley, who testified before the panel, recollected the unnerving events he faced while aboard Titan alongside Rush during a 2019 dive. He described a foreboding crackling noise heard whilst underwater, noting, “He told us to be prepared for noises,” as they embarked on the perilous journey, reports the Mirror.
“He had recently done the solo dive on his own, and basically just said, ‘this is going to make noise’ and ‘brace yourselves.'” Reflecting on their previous underwater expeditions, Stanley voiced serious concerns, citing “a lot of red flags.”
Stanley highlighted to authorities that Rush’s hesitation to take the submarine into deeper waters was a clear sign of his friend’s lack of confidence in the craft. He also noted that Rush rarely piloted the sub himself.
These revelations echo Stanley’s earlier comments to 60 Minutes Australia. “He definitely knew it was going to end like this,” he told the programme, suggesting that Rush was aware of the risks involved.
“He literally and figuratively went out with the biggest bang in human history that you can go out with.”
Meanwhile, OceanGate faced scrutiny from the US Coast Guard, which heard testimonies from those adamantly defending the company, arguing the incident was simply an accident. On Tuesday, OceanGate’s director of administration, Amber Bay, staunchly rebutted claims of “desperation” to complete dives.
Bay strongly dismissed any suggestions from the US Coast Guard that OceanGate had compromised safety for the sake of mission urgency. She asserted emphatically that the company would not “conduct dives that would be risky just to meet a need.”
A spokesperson for Saga said: “There definitely was an urgency to deliver on what we had offered and a dedication and perseverance towards that goal,” during a poignant testimony as reported by NBC affiliate KNTV.
Overcome with emotion, Saga later spoke about the tragedy, tearfully stating: “I had the privilege of knowing the explorer’s lives who were lost,” and added, “And there’s not a day that passes that I don’t think of them, their families and the loss.”
Further investigations have revealed insights from several former employees, along with OceanGate’s other co-founder, Guillermo Sohnlein. Sohnlein provided understanding into why the submarine was built using less robust materials, explaining they pursued this approach because it aligned with OceanGate’s vision of constructing a fleet of submarines that could transport people to underwater archaeological sites.