Early on June 22, news broke that the Titan, an OceanGate submersible that went out on June 18 on a voyage to the Titanic wreckage exploration, had suffered a catastrophic implosion. In addition to the news that the vessel had imploded, the U.S. Coast Guard also announced that the five passengers aboard the Titan had perished in the accident.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was one of the explorers who died during the submersible’s journey, alongside Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet. News continued to break through the day, with the latest update coming from the U.S. Navy, sharing that they heard an implosion on June 18, not long after the Titan took off.
First reported by the Wall Street Journal, the Navy is said to have started listening for the Titan immediately after it lost signal on June 18, and that a sound registered on the Navy’s specialized acoustic detection system just hours after the submersible’s initial descent.
CNN reports that a senior Navy official confirmed that an “acoustic signature consistent with an implosion” was heard on Sunday and that while it occurred in the general area that the Titan was traveling in, it was “not definitive” proof of a tragedy. That being said, the Navy alerted officials about the sound, and their find helped narrow down an area in which to search for the Titan.
When news broke this morning that pieces of the vessel were found, it was a heartbreaking end to a story that should have been an exciting adventure for those aboard. CNN, among several other outlets, also shared the following statement from those close to OceanGate regarding the loss of the five explorers:
“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.”
Our thoughts are with the friends and loved ones left behind by Rush, the Dawoods, Harding, and Nargeolet.