The deep-sea submersible carrying five people on a voyage to the wreck of the legendary Titanic was found in pieces after a "catastrophic implosion" that killed everyone aboard, the U.S. Coast Guard said, ending a multinational five-day search for the vessel.
A robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian ship discovered debris from the submersible Titan on Thursday morning on the seabed some 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the bow of the Titanic, 2 1/2 miles (4 km) beneath the surface, in a remote corner of the North Atlantic, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters.
The Titan, operated by the U.S.-based company OceanGate Expeditions, had been missing since it lost contact with its surface support ship on Sunday morning about an hour into what should have been a two-hour dive.
A desperate search for a missing five-person submersible has ended
Image credits: Oceangate
The deep-sea sub that was used for a voyage to the century-old wreck of the Titanic was found in pieces from a "catastrophic implosion"
Image credits: Oceangate
Everyone aboard was killed
Image credits: Canadian Armed Forces
"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 Inc. told Bored Panda 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."
Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman were among the crew
Image credits: Reuters
As well as wealthy British adventurer Hamish Harding
Image credits: Hamish Harding
French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush
Image credits: Oceangate
A lover of Star Trek and Star Wars, Shahzada Dawood was also fond of nature and often traveled to faraway places
Image credits: Shahzada Dawood
Image credits: DawoodTdf
But his 19-year-old son went on the trip because it fell over Father's Day weekend and he was eager to please his dad
Azmeh Dawood — the older sister of Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood — told NBC News that her nephew, Suleman, while speaking to a relative, said he "wasn't very up for it" and felt "terrified" about the trip to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.
But he eventually ended up going aboard OceanGate's 22-foot submersible because the trip fell over Father's Day weekend and he was eager to please his dad, who was really passionate about the lore of the Titanic, Azmeh explained.
"I am thinking of Suleman, who is 19, in there, just perhaps gasping for breath ... It's been crippling, to be honest," Azmeh added.
She was devastated on Thursday when OceanGate, the company behind the Titan expedition, confirmed that all five passengers aboard were presumed dead.
"I feel disbelief," Azmeh said. "It's an unreal situation."
The U.S. Coast Guard said that debris in the search area was consistent with a "catastrophic implosion"
Image credits: CNN
Image credits: CNN
Here's a video tour of the sub, taken by CBS
Image credits: CBS Sunday Morning
Launched from the Canadian ship Horizon Arctic, the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) located two debris fields and at least five major pieces of the sub, including its nose cone and part of the pressure hull. It is believed the Titan imploded under the immense pressure of the deep ocean before the search and rescue operation even began.
Officials said listening devices detected no sounds consistent with such a "catastrophic failure" and that noises detected earlier by a Canadian aircraft were probably not related to the missing sub.
"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," U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger explained. "We will begin to demobilize personnel and vessels from the scene over the course of the next 24 hours."
Until then, a difficult investigation and search for the crew is ongoing.
"This is a incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the seafloor," Mauger said after being asked about the chance of finding human remains. "We'll continue to work and continue to search the area down there, but I don't have an answer for prospects at this time."
Image credits: CBS Sunday Morning
Image credits: CBS Sunday Morning
People have been incredibly saddened by the news
