The U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed tragic suspicions that a debris field is the missing Titanic tourist submersible.
All five passengers on board are presumed dead.
Rear Admiral John Mauger, First Coast Guard District commander, said a remotely operated vehicle from the Vessel Horizon Arctic discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible approximately 1600 feet from the bow of the Titanic.
“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,” Mauger said.
OceanGate Expeditions, the company behind the missing Titanic tourist submersible confirmed Thursday afternoon that the passengers on board are believed to have “sadly been lost.”
“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” OceanGate said in a statement.
“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”
“This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission. We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families.”
“This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea. We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time.”
The statement came hours after a debris field was found near the bow of the Titanic. (RELATED: Debris Field Found By Titanic)
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I am reminded of the catastrophic loss of the Challenger. Everyone who was alive back then remembers where they were and what they were about when they received the awful news. The five brave souls lost at sea belong in the same category as the space explorers. They knew the risks, they accepted them, and they perished in an activity that they dearly cherished. Condolences to all.
Killed when sub imploded
See movie Raise the Titanic, 1980 shows sub implosion
I recall seeing pictures of that submersible some time ago. At that time I felt it was poorly designed. That’s the case or it was operating beyond its test depth. Many don’t seem to understand that riding in a submersible, is the same as flying in an airplane, a lot of things can happen and none of them are good.