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THE Titan sub imploded just metres away from the Titanic killing the five crew in “milliseconds”.

A spokesman for the US Coast Guard said debris found in the search for the missing sub is "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber".

The Titan submersible vanished less than two house into its descent to the Titanic wreckage on Sunday
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The Titan submersible vanished less than two house into its descent to the Titanic wreckage on SundayCredit: Reuters
A huge rescue operation was launched to rescue the sub and its passengers
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A huge rescue operation was launched to rescue the sub and its passengersCredit: AFP
Rear Admiral John Mauger said the missing sub Titan suffered a 'catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber'
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Rear Admiral John Mauger said the missing sub Titan suffered a 'catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber'Credit: Reuters

Rear Admiral John Mauger told a press conference in Boston yesterday: "This morning, 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 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.

Read More on the search for Titan

"And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time."

OceanGate Expeditions said its pilot and chief executive Stockton Rush - along with Brit Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet died in the sub.

Titan vanished less than two hours into its descent to the Titanic wreckage on Sunday and has not been seen since until the debris discovery yesterday.

The sub began its descent from Canadian research vessel the Polar Prince to the Titanic wreck at 8am but contact was lost at 9.45am UK time.

It failed to appear at 3pm, the time it was expected to resurface.

The Coast Guard received at report about the missing vessel at 5.40pm.

On June 19, a C-130 Hercules aircraft and crew, as well as a Canadian P8 aircraft with underwater sonar capability joined the search for the sub.

Hopes were raised the following day when the Canadian aircraft reported hearing "underwater noises in the search area".

On the same day the Coast Guard set up a command to help coordinate multiple vessels conducting search operations and said 10,000 square miles had already been searched with more vessels on their way to help in the search.

On Thursday, at 11.48am the Coast Guard announced debris had been discovered by an ROV from the Horizon Arctic, found near the Titanic.

Mauger said that five "major pieces" had been found.

They include part of the pressure chamber, the nose cone, the front-end bell and the aft-end bell.

The pieces were found on the North Atlantic Ocean sea floor around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic on Thursday morning.

Undersea expert Paul Hankin said: "We found five different major pieces of debris that told us that it was the remains of the Titan.

"The initial thing we found was the nose cone which was outside of the pressure hull.

"We then found a large debris field.

"Within that large debris field we found the front-end bell of the pressure hull. That was the first indication that there was a catastrophic event.

"Shortly thereafter we found a second smaller debris field. Within that debris field we found the other end of the pressure hull - the aft end bell - which basically comprises the totality of that pressure vessel.

"We continue to map out the debris field, and as the admiral said, we will do the best we can to fully map out what's down there."

Rear Admiral Mauger added there did not appear to be any connection between the underwater noises detected during the search and rescue mission and the location of the debris on the seafloor.

"This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel which would have generated a significant broadband sound down there that the sonar buoys would have picked up," he said.

David Mearns - a pal of two of the Titan passengers - believed the debris held vital clues about what happened to the sub.

He told : "It was a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible.

"It means the hull hasn't yet been found but two very important parts of the whole system have been discovered and that would not be found unless it was fragmented.

"Again this is an unconventional submarine, that rear cover is the pointy end of it and the landing frame is the little frame that it seems to sit on."

Mearns also pointed to the fishtail fairing of the sub.

He added: "If the faring is off and the frame is off - then something really bad has happened to the entire structure."

Mearns added that it was a tragedy.

He said: "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.

"The only saving grace is that it would have been immediate, literally in milliseconds and the men would have no idea what was happening.

Read More on The Sun

"My worst fears as of Monday have now been realised.

"So yeah, two friends of mine are gone."

Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate was piloting the sub when it disappeared
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Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate was piloting the sub when it disappearedCredit: AP
Businessman Shahzada Dawood, right, and his son Suleman were on board the sub
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Businessman Shahzada Dawood, right, and his son Suleman were on board the subCredit: AFP
Hamish Harding, a billionaire businessman, also died in the sub disaster
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Hamish Harding, a billionaire businessman, also died in the sub disasterCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk
Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet also perished in the Titan
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Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet also perished in the Titan
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