Missing Titanic submarine updates — Investigation ‘taking precautions’ in case human remains are discovered
THE US Coast Guard is "taking precautions" in case human remains are discovered in the search for the remains of the destroyed Titan submersible.
Speaking in a press conference on Sunday, Coast Guard officials confirmed that the investigation into the OceanGate submersible is ongoing.
Captain Jason Neubauer, , told reporters: “I’m not getting into the details of the recovery operations but we are taking all precautions on site if we are to encounter any human remains.
“At this time, a priority of the investigation is to recover items from the sea floor.
“We have already mapped the accident site in the field so the other factors would be part of ”
Follow our missing Titanic submarine blog for updates...
Who is Stockton Rush's wife Wendy?
Wendy Rush, a leading figure in the company, supervises its and has been revealed as a descendant of a famous couple.
, Wendy Rush née Hollings Weil is the communications director for .
Wendy also serves on the board of the company's charitable foundation.
According to her LinkedIn, she has participated in three OceanGate expeditions to the in the last two years.
From 2017 to October 2021, Wendy was the president of the , and retains her position as a member of the foundation's executive board.
In 1986, then-pilot Wendy tied the knot with aerospace engineer - the youngest jet transport-rated pilot in the world.
Before her affiliation with , Wendy was a substitute teacher in and an account manager with Ladd Associates.
Wendy Rush’s connection to the Titanic
It turns out that Wendy is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Straus, who both died onboard the Titanic when it sank in 1912.
They were two of the wealthiest passengers travelling on the ocean liner on its maiden voyage. Mr Straus was the owner of Macey’s department store.
The couple were best known for their tragic love story onboard the doomed ship.
Survivors recalled that Isidor refused a seat on a lifeboat to save others and Ida bravely declared she would not leave her husband.
Titan sub passenger feared for life when batteries drained
A man who previously went missing on the Titan submersible has told of the horror two hours he spent lost at the depths of the ocean.
Alan Estrada hoped to see the Titanic onboard Titan in 2022 when its batteries suddenly lost power.
How much does a Titanic submarine tour cost?
OceanGate Expeditions provides a pricey experience for passengers to travel to the bottom of the ocean to see the Titanic's wreckage.
According to an archived version of the , the eight-day tour has a starting price of $250,000.
The website reads: "Follow in Jacques Cousteau’s footsteps and become an underwater explorer — beginning with a dive to the wreck of the RMS Titanic.
"This is your chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary. Become one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes."
Stockton Rush's view on safety
Titanic sub CEO Stockton Rush previously claimed there should be .
Mr Rush said in an interview with CBS last year: "You know, at some point, safety is just a pure waste.
"I mean, if you just want to be safe, don't get out of bed, don't get in your car, don't do anything. At some point, you're going to take some risk, and it really is a risk-reward question.
"I think I can do this just as safely while breaking the rules."
Haunting words
previously admitted his biggest fear was the vessel not being able to get back to the surface.
Former passengers on the "experimental" sub have raised concerns over the apparent lack of safety equipment, and the fact there's no emergency escape.
In a haunting interview last year, Mr Rush told how his main worry was that the sub - created by OceanGate and steered by a gaming controller - would get trapped under the water.
He told CBS: "What I worry about most are things that will stop me from being able to get to the surface.
"Overhangs, fish nets, entanglement hazards."
But he brushed off the concern, and said the 22ft vessel would be able to avoid such hazards.
Where was Titanic filmed?
While exhausting its , was shot at several replicated such as:
- Baja Studios,
- Halifax Harbour,
- SS Jeremiah O'Brien at Fisherman's Wharf,
- Belmont Plaza Pool,
- S.S. Lane Victory,
Principal photography and filming for the 1997 blockbuster began on July 31, 1996, and concluded on March 23, 1997.
The nature of the debris
“We found five different major pieces of debris that told us that it was the remains of the Titan,” Paul Hankin said at the press conference.
are the following:
- Nose cone
- Debris field 1
- front end-bell of the pressure hull
- Debris field 2
- back half of the pressure hull
- Pressure vessel
Why didn’t it have an emergency safety beacon?
David Pogue, a CBS Sunday Morning reporter and ex-passenger of the Titan, revealed that while the vessel was lost last year he questioned the company’s emergency system.
He said the surface vessel was not carrying a distress beacon – which is activated by boaters in emergency situations.
When activated, it alerts a worldwide Search and Rescue (SAR) network designed to send rescuers to the boat’s exact location quickly.
Pogue said: “This submersible does not have any kind of beacon like that.
“On my expedition last summer they did indeed get lost and adding such a beacon was discussed.”
About OceanGate
OceanGate Inc., based in Everett, , is a privately held American firm that provides crewed submersibles for tourism, industry, research, and exploration.
Stockton Rush established the firm in 2009.
OceanGate began transporting paying guests to the Titanic disaster on their Titan submersible in 2021.
An OceanGate mission to the Titanic shipwreck costs $250,000 per person as of 2022.
Contact with the company’s Titan submersible was lost on June 18, 2023, during a mission to the Titanic shipwreck site, causing a multinational, continuing search-and-rescue operation.
When was the Titanic found?
American oceanographer and marine geologist Robert Ballard and French oceanographer and engineer Jean-Louis Michel
The ship was found lying in two main pieces about 2,000 feet apart.
In 2012, the Titanic wreckage was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
How deep is the Titanic?
has been sitting 3,800 meters below the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean since it sank in 1912.
This equates to a depth of around 12500 feet.
It has been reported that the wreckage could disappear completely by 2030, all because of "hungry" bacteria in the ocean.
The wreck initially stayed well preserved because of how deep in the ocean it is, but scientists don't think the remains of the ship have much time left.
In 2010, proteobacteria were found on rusticles that had been recovered from the wreckage and recent estimates predict that by the year 2030, the ship may be completely eroded.
How much did the Titanic submarine cost to build?
to take the trip, but a man who helped build it claimed it was constructed with inexpensive tech.
As reported by , Doug Virnig helped with the development of OceanGate's Titan and has since claimed it was deliberately designed with low-tech.
The former employee also claimed the was to fund research rather than help build a career in adventure tourism.
The vessel measures 6.7 metres, about the size of a minivan and was built using carbon fibre and titanium which made it lighter than other subs.
Vessel suspected to have imploded
David Mearns, a friend of two passengers on the told that experts suspect the vessel imploded.
He explained: “A debris field implies there’s a break up of the submersible.
“And at that depth, because we know that they lost communications with it at around 3,300m… that really indicates what is the worst case scenario, which is a catastrophic failure.
“And generally that is an implosion.”
Who built the OceanGate Titanic submarine?
was the CEO and founder of in which he .
The engineer spoke in an about the logistics of the Titan.
He explained: "We run the ."
There were also Camper World LED lights installed inside and a number of the cameras were in fact security cameras.
'Safer than crossing the street'
Jay Bloom, a tycoon who turned down tickets on the doomed Titan sub, has revealed how boss Stockton Rush bragged it was ."
Businessman Mr Bloom was set to go on the ill-fated dive with his son Sean - but raised with Mr Rush.
He said: "I expressed safety concerns and Stockton told me, 'While there's obviously risk – it's way safer than flying in a helicopter or even scuba diving'.
"He was absolutely convinced that it was safer than crossing the street.
"I am sure he really believed what he was saying. But he was very wrong. He passionately believed in what he was doing."
What happens in an implosion under water?
An implosion is described as a sudden collapse of matter in a closed area under the influence of a significant pressure difference.
The and would have collapsed inwards under the immense pressure.
Aileen Maria Marty, a former Naval officer and professor at Florida International University, told CNN that the horrific event would have taken place within a fraction of a millisecond.
Although debris from the wreckage has been found, experts agree that it will be
What happens when a body impodes?
An implosion is when something because the pressure outside it is so much greater than inside.
The deaths on board the would have been instant and painless, according to experts.
When an implosion occurs, the victim's lungs and sternum would have been immediately crushed, as well as any other part of the body containing oxygen.
Stefan Williams, a professor of marine robotics at the University of Sydney told : "If the pressure vessel has failed catastrophically, it's like a small bomb going off.
"The potential is that all the safety devices might be destroyed in the process."
Tributes to Hamish
Since the tragic revelation, Brit billionaire Hamish Harding's family have shared a heartbreaking tribute to the "dedicated father" who "lived his life for his family, his business and for the next adventure".
The statement, released by Harding's company Action Aviation, read: "Today we are united in grief with the other families who have also lost their loved ones.
"Hamish Harding was a loving husband to his wife and a dedicated father to his two sons, whom he loved deeply.
"To his team in Action Aviation, he was a guide, an inspiration, a support, and a living legend.
"He was one of a kind and we adored him. He was a passionate explorer - whatever the terrain - who lived his life for his family, his business and for the next adventure.
"What he achieved in his lifetime was truly remarkable and if we can take any small consolation from this tragedy, it's that we lost him doing what he loved.
"He will leave a gap in our lives that can never be filled. We know that Hamish would have been immensely proud to see how nations, experts, industry colleagues and friends came together for the search and we extend our heartfelt thanks for all their efforts.
"On behalf of the Harding family and Action Aviation, we would like to politely request privacy at this incredibly difficult time."
US Coast Guard's announcement
A spokesman for the US Coast Guard said in the search for the missing sub is "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber."
Rear Admiral John Mauger told a press conference in Boston: "This morning [Thursday, June 22, 2023], an ROV, or remote operated vehicle from the vessel Horizon Arctic discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible approximately 1,600ft (500m) from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor.
"The ROV subsequently found additional debris. In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.
"Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.
"On behalf of the Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them.
"And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time."
What did Robert Ballard say about the Titanic?
Ballard has been vocal about the artifacts from the ship.
In an interview with , Ballard said: "We made a promise to never take anything from that ship, and to treat it with great respect.
He went on to fiercely protect the legacy with Congress passing the RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986 to help “provide for reasonable research, exploration, and, if appropriate, salvage activities with respect to the shipwreck."
Despite the act being passed, numerous battles have ensued over the artefact rights.
Who Is Robert Ballard, continued
It took eight days for Ballard to find the of Newfoundland, , after he used the expedition as a front for taking a look at the nuclear weapons on the sunken Scorpion sub without the Russians knowing.
He first located the boilers and later confirmed the full wreck had been found.
His discovery was one for the history books after the ship’s remains remained undiscovered for decades.
Who Is Robert Ballard?
is a professor of oceanography and a retired Navy officer.
He is famed for his discoveries of wrecks including the RMS .
Ballard found the on September 1, 1985, thanks to his own remotely-operated underwater vehicle.
His search was funded by the Navy with Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Ronald Thunman granting the funds.
Personal injury attorney & law expert speaks out
Matthew Shaffer, a personal injury attorney and maritime law expert, outlined how the families of those on
"If there were aspects of the design or construction of this vessel that were kept from the passengers or it was knowingly operated despite information that it was not suitable for this dive, that would absolutely go against the validity of the wave," he said.
Personal injury lawyer Joseph Low added: "There are so many different examples of what families might still have claims for despite the waivers, but until we know the cause we can't determine whether the waivers apply."
‘Incredibly unforgiving environment’
Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters that the sea floor is an “incredibly unforgiving environment.”
He added: “On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families,”
“I can only imagine what this has been like for them, and I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”
