2023 Titan submersible incident

Titan submersible incident
Map of the ocean to the southeast of Newfoundland, with a line from St. John's to the location of the Titanic wreck 400 nautical miles southeast.
Location of the wreck of the Titanic, where the Titan was diving
Date18 June 2023
LocationNorth Atlantic Ocean, near the wreck of the Titanic
Coordinates41°43′32″N 49°56′49″W / 41.72556°N 49.94694°W / 41.72556; -49.94694
CauseFailure of the pressure hull
ParticipantsOceanGate
OutcomeSubmersible destroyed by implosion
Deaths5

On 18 June 2023, RV Titan, a submersible operated by OceanGate, Inc. went missing in international waters in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The submersible had five people on board. It was on a tourist expedition to view the wreck of RMS Titanic.

The submersible’s implosion was caused by the failure of her pressure hull.

Implosion

Communication was lost 1 hour and 45 minutes into Titan's dive to the wreck site. The police were informed when it did not come back at the right time later that day.

On 22 June, after nearly 80 hours of searching, a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) discovered a debris field with parts of the Titan. These were around 488 m (1,600 ft) from the bow of the Titanic. The pressure vessel probably broke during or after the implosion, killing all on board instantly.

Worries about the safety of the vessel had been talked about before. Search and rescue efforts were carried out by a worldwide team led by the United States Coast Guard, United States Navy, and Canadian Coast Guard. Aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force and United States Air National Guard, a Royal Canadian Navy ship. Several commercial and research ships and ROVs also helped with the search.

References

  1. ↑ "Watch Coast Guard press conference live: Officials give updates on missing Titanic sub". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. ↑ Kelly, Mary Louise; Acovino, Vincent; Ermyas, Tinbete (20 June 2023). "A former passenger details what it's like inside the missing Titan submersible". NPR. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  3. ↑ Evans, Gareth; Gozzi, Laura (19 June 2023). "Titanic tourist submersible goes missing with search under way". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  4. ↑ Regan, Helen; Yeung, Jessie; Renton, Adam; Said-Moorhouse, Lauren; Upright, Ed; Hayes, Mike; Hammond, Elise; Powell, Tori B.; Vera, Amir (20 June 2023). "June 20, 2023 Missing Titanic sub search news". CNN. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  5. ↑ Amos, Jonathan. "Titanic sub live updates: Crew of Titan sub believed to be dead, says vessel operator". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  6. ↑ Patil, Anushka (22 June 2023). "The debris found today was "consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber" in the submersible, Mauger said". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  7. ↑ Cooke, Ryan (20 June 2023). "U.S. air force aircraft land in St. John's with gear to aid in search for missing submersible". CBC News. Retrieved 20 June 2023.