Debris Found 1,600 Feet From Titanic; 5 Likely Died Instantly

All five people aboard a submersible missing near the wreck of the Titanic died — likely in an instant — after their vessel suffered what the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday was a “catastrophic implosion” in the ocean depths.

Their bodies are unlikely to ever be recovered, officials said at a press conference Thursday.

It was also learned Thursday that a U.S. Navy acoustic system detected an ‘anomaly’ on Sunday that was likely the Titan’s fatal implosion, according to a senior military official.

The Navy went back and analyzed its acoustic data after the Titan submersible was reported missing Sunday. 

That anomaly was “consistent with an implosion or explosion in the general vicinity of where the Titan submersible was operating when communications were lost,” according to a senior Navy official.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive acoustic detection system.

The Navy passed on the information to the Coast Guard, which continued its search because the Navy did not consider the data to be definitive.

The somber announcement ended a multinational search-and-rescue operation that captivated the world since the tiny tourist craft went missing in the North Atlantic four days ago.

Rear Adm. John Mauger told reporters in Boston that analysis showed debris found on the seafloor, 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic, was consistent with the implosion of the sub’s pressure chamber.

“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families,” Mauger said.

On board were British explorer Hamish Harding, French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and Stockton Rush, CEO of the sub’s operator OceanGate Expeditions.

OceanGate said its “hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time.”

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” it said in a statement.

“We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”

The Coast Guard announced earlier Thursday that an underwater robot had discovered a “debris field” in the search area.

Authorities said they later learned the pieces included the sub’s tail cone and front and back ends of its pressure hull.

Mauger said the Coast Guard could not be sure when or why the vessel imploded and declined to be drawn on whether remains of the men would be retrieved.

“This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the seafloor,” he said.

The process of demobilizing personnel and vessels from the scene would soon begin but unmanned robots would continue operations on the seabed for now, Mauger added.

“We’ll collect as much information as we can,” he said.

The small sub named Titan disappeared on Sunday as it descended to the Titanic, which sits more than two miles below the ocean’s surface and 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

OceanGate Expeditions charged $250,000 for a seat on the sub. In a 2018 lawsuit, its former director of marine operations raised concerns about the “experimental and untested design” of Titan.

Harding was a billionaire and keen explorer with three Guinness Records to his name, while the Dawoods belonged to one of Pakistan’s richest families. Nargeolet was nicknamed “Mr. Titanic” for his frequent dives at the site.

Information from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Newsmax staffer Jack Gournell was used in this report.