On Monday, the US Coast Guard launched a two-week hearing into the tragic implosion of the Titan submersible, which claimed the lives of five individuals on June 18, 2023. The hearing began with a presentation featuring animation that aims to clarify the events leading up to the disaster.
According to The Associated Press, the final moments of the Titan were marked by a loss of communication. The crew had been exchanging texts regarding the submersible’s depth and weight as it descended, but contact was lost after the Polar Prince, the support vessel, repeatedly inquired if the Titan could still view the ship on its onboard display. The Titan’s final messages, which became increasingly erratic, included a terse “all good here.”
Initial remarks by Coast Guard representatives revealed that the Titan may have been exposed to harsh conditions during a seven-month storage period in 2022-2023. Additionally, they disclosed that the hull of the submersible had not undergone the standard third-party review procedures.
The first witness, Tony Nissen, the former engineering director of OceanGate, testified that he felt immense pressure to begin operations. When questioned about whether there was a push to deploy the Titan quickly, Nissen affirmed, “100%.” He was also asked if this pressure impacted safety and testing protocols, to which he hesitated before responding, “No. … That’s a difficult question to answer, because given infinite time and infinite budget, you could do infinite testing.”
Nissen revealed that the Titan had been struck by lightning during a 2018 test mission, an event that may have compromised its hull. He was dismissed from OceanGate in 2019, the same year he refused to allow the submersible to undertake a dive to the Titanic. Despite subsequent tests and adjustments, Nissen expressed a lack of trust in the operations staff and declined an offer from Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s co-founder, to pilot the submersible, saying, “I’m not getting in it.”
The Marine Board of Investigation, the highest level of marine casualty inquiry conducted by the Coast Guard, is overseeing the hearing. Upon its conclusion, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard’s commandant. Concurrently, the National Transportation Safety Board is conducting its own investigation.
The search for the Titan garnered global attention, and despite hopes, it became clear that survival was improbable following the implosion. The wreckage was ultimately located on the ocean floor approximately 330 yards (300 meters) from the Titanic’s bow, as reported by Coast Guard officials.
