The desperate multi-day search for a missing submersible culminated in tragedy on Thursday, with the Coast Guard confirming debris found on the ocean floor near the Titanic wreckage are in fact pieces of the deep-diving vessel and that evidence indicated a “catastrophic implosion” that nobody could have survived.
A remote-operated vehicle discovered the tail cone of the Titan about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic Thursday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed. It is among five major pieces of debris found, including the nose cone.
“This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” First Coast Guard District commander Rear Adm. John Mauger said.
“We’ll continue to work and search the area down there but I don’t have an answer for prospects at this time,” he added.
The Coast Guard previously vowed it would “continue with the search and rescue efforts” throughout Thursday before confirming the discovery of the debris just before noon.
OceanGate Explorations, the owner of the submersible Titan, also released a statement Thursday saying the five men who were aboard the missing craft are believed dead.
“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” the company said in a statement. “These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time.”
The company asked for privacy for the grieving families and expressed gratitude to “the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.”
The submersible was on its way to view Titanic wreckage when it lost contact with its surface mother ship on Sunday. Frantic searches have been underway since, hoping to beat the clock on the 96 hours of oxygen left.
Those hours ran out Thursday morning after a search that grew ever more desperate. Even if it had been found intact, it would have taken hours to bring the submersible up from the deep and extract the occupants.