This morning, an ROV, or remote-operated vehicle, from the vessel Horizon Arctic discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the seafloor. The ROV subsequently found additional debris. In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the waste 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 unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them, and I hope this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.
Additionally, we’ve been in close contact with the British and French consul general to ensure they are fully apprised, and their concerns are being addressed. The outpouring of support in this highly complex search operation has been robust and immensely appreciated. We are grateful for the rapid mobilization of experts on the undersea search and rescue, and we thank all of the agencies and personnel for their role in the response.
We are also incredibly grateful for the full spectrum of international assistance provided.
The ROVs will remain on the scene and continue to gather information. Again, our most heartfelt condolences go out to the crew’s loved ones.
The search for the submarine missing in the Atlantic since Sunday ended in sorrow when five parts of the vessel were found 1,600ft from the wreckage of the Titanic.
Debris from the Titan sub was found at 5 am local time yesterday by a remotely operated vehicle 12,500ft beneath the sea.
The five people on board are the latest to fall victim to the Titanic’s curse, 111 years after more than 1,500 passengers and crew perished when the liner hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage.
The implosion of the Titan submersible, owned by U.S. firm OceanGate, would have instantly killed the five men on board, a fate described by a friend of two tourists as a “saving grace”.
Confirming the submersible had imploded, Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard, who led the search for Titan, said: “The debris is consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.
“I can only imagine what this has been like for them, and I hope this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.”
Pelagic Research Services confirmed it was their ROV – transported to the scene on the Horizon Artic and the first to search for the submersible – which had found the debris field.
Following an urgent race to recover a 22-foot submersible that held five men on board to see the Titanic, search and rescue teams found Thursday morning outer parts of the Titan near the site of the Titanic wreckage. OceanGate, the company that led the mission, said the men on board were dead.
“This is a sorrowful time for the entire explorer community and for each of the family members of those lost at sea,” the company wrote.
The debris found on the ocean floor about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic was “consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber” in the submersible, said Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Coast Guard officials said it’s too early to tell when the Titan imploded.
U.S. Coast Guard officials said remote operating vehicles, or ROVs, would remain operating on the sea floor around the Titanic and investigate the debris field.
“Right now, again, our thoughts are with the families and making sure that they understand as best as we can provide of what happened and begin to find some closure,” an unnamed official said during the press conference.
Mauger said he did not know whether the Coast Guard would be able to recover the bodies of the five passengers on board the Titan. “This is an incredibly unforgiving environment,” he said.
On Thursday, the Coast Guard said that search and rescue crews discovered a “debris field” near the Titanic. After evaluating the debris, the Coast Guard determined that debris contained pieces of the Titan, including a landing frame and a rear cover from the vessel. The residue was discovered after the sub was expected to run out of oxygen.
“A debris field was discovered within the search area by an ROV near the Titanic,” the Coast Guard wrote on Twitter.
A Coast Guard official commended the extensive search efforts that led to Thursday’s findings during the press conference.
“We’ve really had the right gear on-site and worked as swiftly as possible to bring all of the capabilities we had to bear to this search and rescue effort,” the official said. “It was a huge international multi-agency effort to make this happen.”
