Titanic sub update: Titan implosion to be probed by international agencies as memorial held for father and son

An international group of agencies is investigating what may have caused the Titan submersible to implode while carrying five people to the Titanic wreckage, and US maritime officials say they’ll issue a report aimed at improving the safety of submersibles worldwide.

Investigators from the US, Canada, France and the United Kingdom are working closely together on the probe of the 18 June accident, said US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger.

Salvage operations from the sea floor are ongoing, and the accident site has been mapped, Coast Guard chief investigator Captain Jason Neubauer said Sunday, adding that the final report will be issued to the International Maritime Organization.

“My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence by making the necessary recommendations to advance the safety of the maritime domain worldwide,” Mr Neubauer said.

As the investigations are underway, memorial services for the victims of the Titan incident pay tribute to their lives.

On Tuesday, the Dawood Foundation held a prayer service for Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, the father and son who died in the implosion.

Discover Titanic opened an online guest book for people to leave their thoughts and memories of Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Key points

• Mother of teenager killed in Titanic sub implosion gave up spot for ‘excited’ son

• Family of billionaire and son lost were aboard support ship, mother reveals

• US Coast Guard to lead investigation of sub disaster

• Why did the Titanic sub implode?

• Will the passengers’ bodies ever be found?

OceanGate headquarters ‘indefinitely closed’

17:30 , Ariana Baio

The company that operated the Titan closed its headquarters in Everett, Washington State, following the vessel’s implosion, which killed OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman Dawood.

The leasing agent said in a statement to The Seattle Times that the company would be closing indefinitely.

What was the banging noise picked up in search for Titanic sub?

17:00 , Ariana Baio

Secret US Navy listening devices detected an “anomaly” near the Titanic shipwreck soon after the Titan departed from its support ship the Polar Prince, which is believed to be the moment sub suffered a “catastrophic implosion” of its carbon fibre hull.

The source of the banging sounds has not been identified, but experts have put forward several theories about their possible origin.

Bevan Hurley reports:

What was the banging noise picked up in search for Titanic sub?

Watch: Ross Kemp explains why he turned down trip on Titanic tourist submarine

16:30 , Ariana Baio

US Coast Guard declares ‘recovery of items from sea floor’ as priority

16:00 , Ariana Baio

The US Coast Guard says the priority in its investigation into the fatal Titanic submersible implosion is the “recovery of items from the sea floor”.

Captain Jason Neubauer, chief investigator with the US Coast Guard, told reporters on Sunday, that: “My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence by making the necessary recommendations to enhance the safety of the maritime domain worldwide.”

A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) discovered debris from the Titan around 1,600ft from the bow of the liner days after it lost contact with its mother ship around 1 hour and 45 minutes into the dive.

Pelagic Research Services, the company that owns the ROV, tweeted pictures of the Titan recovery mission on Sunday.

Son turned down father’s offer for ‘bucket list’ trip on doomed Titanic sub over safety fears

15:30 , Ariana Baio

A 20-year-old man who had a lucky escape from the doomed Titanic sub disaster has revealed how he turned down his father’s offer of a “bucket list” trip because he feared the vessel wasn’t safe.

Sean Bloom, 20, told People that he and his financier father Jay Bloom almost signed up to join OceanGate Expeditions’ tourist trip to visit the Titanic wreckage.

But, Mr Bloom said that he ultimately refused to go because he wasn’t convinced the Titan submersible would be able to withstand the pressure around 13,000 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean.

“The whole reason my dad didn’t go was because I told him, ‘Dude, this submarine cannot survive going that deep in the ocean,’” Sean told People.

“I was worried because I didn’t think the submarine could withstand that kind of pressure and it wasn’t meant to go that far.”

He added: “That is a small submarine, with five people crammed inside. It just felt super unsafe. Something was telling me this was not the move.”

Ultimately, the Blooms decided against the trip and the final two seats were snapped up by a different father and son duo: Shahzada and Suleman Dawood.

Florida couple drop lawsuit against OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush

15:00 , Ariana Baio

A Florida couple who sued Stockton Rush for refusing to refund their $210,000 deposit for a Titanic shipwreck tour have dropped the lawsuit after the OceanGate Expeditions CEO was among five to die in a “catastrophic implosion” last week.

Marc and Sharon Hagle filed a lawsuit in February claiming Rush had repeatedly cancelled a deep-sea dive they had booked on the Titan submersible in 2018.

After Rush was confirmed to have died on the Titan during an ill-fated trip to the famed North Atlantic shipwreck on Sunday 18 June, the couple said the “honour, respect and dignity” of the victims were more important than their claim

Bevan Hurley reports:

Couple drop lawsuit against late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush

WATCH: Teenage Titanic submersible victim's mother shares last words she shared with son

14:30 , Andrea Blanco

Whistleblowers warned OceanGate safety issues could prove ‘catastrophic’.

14:00 , Ariana Baio

Safety concerns about the Titan submarine that imploded in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean with five people on board have been revealed in a number of scathing reports.

Josh Marcus reports:

Inside OceanGate’s history of safety issues as officials confirm Titanic sub imploded

PICTURED: This is the deep-sea robot that found the Titan’s debris

13:30 , Andrea Blanco

A week after the catastrophic implosion that killed all five passengers aboard the fated submersible, the Coast Guard announced that ROVs (remotely-operated vehicles) remain in place near where the Titan vanished.

The ROV that made the critical finding of the Titan’s chambers 1,600ft from the Titanic’s wreckage, the Odysseus 6K, was launched again on Sunday in further efforts to recover more debris, according to the company that operated the deep-sea robot.

“We continue to work tirelessly in our support role of this mission, alongside the incredible crew of Horizon Artic (the Canadian vessel that carried the Odysseus to the sea),” Pelagic Research Services CEO Ed Cassano said.

Who is Shahzada Dawood? The Pakistani bussinessman who died on Titanic submarine with teenage son

13:00 , Namita Singh

British-based Pakistani tycoon and his teenage son are among five people who perished aboard the Titanic tourist submarine.

The US Coast Guard announced on Thursday that the remains of the submersible vessel lost in the Atlantic Ocean had been found by an ROV on the ocean bed near the wreck of the famed liner.

Its support vessel, the Canadian research icebreaker Polar Prince, lost contact with it approximately one hour and 45 minutes after it submerged on Sunday morning.

Report:

Who is Shahzada Dawood? Pakistani businessman who died in Titanic sub with teen son

Who fill foot the bill for rescue efforts?

12:30 , Andrea Blanco

The US Coast Guard declined Friday to provide a cost estimate for its efforts to locate the Titan, the submersible investigators say imploded not far from the world’s most famous shipwreck. The five people lost included a billionaire British businessman and a father and son from one of Pakistan’s most prominent families.

The operator charged passengers $250,000 each to participate in the voyage.

“We cannot attribute a monetary value to Search and Rescue cases, as the Coast Guard does not associate cost with saving a life,” the agency said.

While the Coast Guard’s cost for the mission is likely to run into the millions of dollars, it is generally prohibited by federal law from collecting reimbursement related to any search or rescue service, said Stephen Koerting, a US attorney in Maine who specializes in maritime law.

But that does not resolve the larger issue of whether wealthy travelers or companies should bear responsibility to the public and governments for exposing themselves to such risk.

“This is one of the most difficult questions to attempt to find an answer for,” said Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union, noting scrutiny of government-funded rescues dating back to British billionaire Richard Branson’s hot air balloon exploits in the 1990s.

“This should never be solely about government spending, or perhaps not even primarily about government spending, but you can’t help thinking about how the limited resources of rescuers can be utilized,” Sepp said.

AP

Titanic actor died at 94

12:00 , Namita Singh

Lew Palter, who played the ancestor of OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush’s wife in James Cameron’s Oscar-winning film Titanic, has died aged 94.

The US actor portrayed retail magnate Isidor Straus in the 1997 film, famously embracing his on-screen wife Ida (Elsa Raven) on a bed in their stateroom as the water rushed onto the ship, having refused to board a lifeboat until all the women and children had been evacuated.

Isidor and Ida Straus were the great-great-grandparents of Wendy Rush, whose husband died last week while piloting the submersible that imploded during a journey to view the Titanic wreckage.

Those on board Titan included UK citizens Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Palter died on May 21 of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles, his daughter Catherine Palter told US outlets on Tuesday.Prior to his role in 1997’s Titanic, Palter also starred as one of the Supreme Court justices in First Monday In October, as well as portraying an LAPD detective on the 1976 CBS series Delvecchio.

Palter joined CalArts School of Theatre in 1971, serving as an “acting teacher, director and mentor” at the Santa Clarita school until his retirement in 2013.

OceanGate sub pilot job opening sparks backlash on TikTok

11:30 , Andrea Blanco

A job advert posted by the company that operated the doomed Titanic submersible that imploded last week in the Atlantic Ocean has sparked backlash on social media.

TikTok users have hit out at the since-deleted job posting by embattled OceanGate Expeditions, following the tragedy that killed all five of its passengers. According to the advertising featured on the company’s website and on Indeed, OceanGate was accepting applicants for a sub pilot position.

The company noted that it had an “urgent opening” and was looking for committed individuals with a “combination of strong mechanical and interpersonal skills,” and experience working with submersibles and boats as well as operating complex systems to support dive operations, Insider reported. Among other requirements, applicants were asked to be comfortable in a confined space and be able to fit through a 28-inch diameter ring.

OceanGate not only hosted tours to the wreck of the Titanic, but also to the Azores Archipelago in Portugal and to the Bahamas. One pilot, one “content expert” and three mission specialists — or fee-paying passengers without any previous experience needed — participated in every dive, according to the company’s website.

The post was removed sometime on Friday, a day after the US Coast Guard confirmed that the vessel’s chambers were found 1,600ft from the wreck of the Titanic on the ocean floor, but not without being noticed by furious sleuths that criticised the timing.

“Remember when everyone was saying “Don’t kill yourself for a job that would replace you within two weeks?” one user commented on a TikTok, while another argued, “It was a scheduled post. that’s how our job engine works...”

Although it is unclear when the job posting went up, it was likely well before OceanGate made international headlines as its sub vanished. However, TikTok users argued that the company should have been cautious enough to remove the posting as a four-day frantic search for the submersible unfolded.

It comes amid reports that OceanGate closed its headquarters in Everett, Washington State, following the Titan’s implosion, which killed CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman Dawood.

Expert believes ‘there is no more evidence to collect’

11:00 , Namita Singh

An expert with whom the Coast Guard have been consulting said there isn’t any more evidence to collect even as an international group of agencies was tasked with investigating what may have caused the Titan submersible to implode.

“It is my professional opinion that all the debris is located in a very small area and that all debris has been found,” said Carl Hartsfield, a retired Navy captain and submarine officer who now directs a lab at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution that designs and operates autonomous underwater vehicles.

Early summer is the best time to be conducting this type of operation because of the lower likelihood of storms, but it’s still likely to be painstaking, said Donald Murphy, an oceanographer who served as chief scientist of the Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol.

The search is taking place in a complex ocean environment where the Gulf Stream meets the Labrador Current, an area where challenging and hard-to-predict ocean currents can make controlling an underwater vehicle more difficult, Mr Murphy said.

But Mr Hartsfield said based on the data he’s reviewed and the performance of the remote vehicles so far, he doesn’t expect currents to be a problem. Also working in the searchers’ favour, he said, is that the debris is located in a compact area and the ocean bottom where they are searching is smooth and not near any of the Titanic debris.

US Coast Guard declares ‘recovery of items from sea floor’ as priority in Titanic sub investigation

10:30 , Andrea Blanco

The US Coast Guard says the priority in its investigation into the fatal Titanic sub implosion is the “recovery of items from the sea floor”.

All five people aboard the OceanGate Titan submersible were killed as it dived to the wreck of the ocean liner in the Atlantic Ocean last week.

The Coast Guard opened a marine board investigation on Friday and is working with the FBI to salvage debris from the sea floor at a depth of more than two miles below surface.

The Independent’s Graeme Massie reports:

US Coast Guard declares ‘recovery of items from sea floor’ as Titanic sub priority

After the Titan implosion, the US Coast Guard wants to improve the safety of submersibles

10:00 , Namita Singh

As an international group of agencies investigates why the Titan submersible imploded while carrying five people to the Titanic wreckage, US maritime officials say they’ll issue a report aimed at improving the safety of submersibles worldwide.

Investigators from the US, Canada, France and the United Kingdom are working closely together on the probe of the 18 June accident, which happened in an “unforgiving and difficult-to-access region” of the North Atlantic, said US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger, of the Coast Guard First District.

Salvage operations from the sea floor are ongoing, and the accident site has been mapped, Coast Guard chief investigator Captain Jason Neubauer said Sunday. He did not give a timeline for the investigation.

Mr Neubauer said the final report will be issued to the International Maritime Organization.

“My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence by making the necessary recommendations to advance the safety of the maritime domain worldwide,” he said.

Evidence is being collected in the port of St John’s, Newfoundland, in coordination with Canadian authorities.

All five people on board the Titan were killed. Debris from the vessel was located about 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) underwater and roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic on the ocean floor, the Coast Guard said last week.

WATCH: James Cameron likens Titan submersible tragedy to Titanic

09:30 , Andrea Blanco

The Titan implosion will be investigated by an international group of agencies

09:00 , Namita Singh

An international group of agencies is investigating what may have caused the Titan submersible to implode while carrying five people to the Titanic wreckage, and US maritime officials say they’ll issue a report aimed at improving the safety of submersibles worldwide.

Investigators from the US, Canada, France and the United Kingdom are working closely together on the probe of the 18 June accident, which happened in an “unforgiving and difficult-to-access region” of the North Atlantic, said US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger, of the Coast Guard First District.

Salvage operations from the sea floor are ongoing, and the accident site has been mapped, Coast Guard chief investigator Capt Jason Neubauer said Sunday. He did not give a timeline for the investigation.

Mr Neubauer said the final report will be issued to the International Maritime Organization.“My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence by making the necessary recommendations to advance the safety of the maritime domain worldwide,” he said.

Evidence is being collected in the port of St John’s, Newfoundland, in coordination with Canadian authorities.

Who are Shahzada Dawood’s wife Christine and daughter Alina?

07:30 , Andrea Blanco

More details have emerged about the father and son who died in the Titan disaster as the teenager’s mother reveals she was on board the support boat when the implosion happened.

Christine Dawood, mother of 19-year-old Suleman Dawood and wife to Shahzada Dawood, both of whom were on the doomed submersible, has revealed she gave up her place on the trip so her son could go.

The Independent’s Lucy Skoulding reports:

Who are Shahzada Dawood’s wife Christine and daughter Alina?

Voice recordings under scrutiny in Titanic sub implosion investigation

06:30 , Andrea Blanco

Voice recordings and other data will be reviewed as part of a US Coast Guard-appointed expert board’s probe into the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible last week.

American and Canadian marine authorities have announced investigations into the circumstances that led to the vessel’s malfunction after its chambers were found in a sea of debris 1,600ft from the wreck of the Titanic.

US Coast Guard Captain Jason Neubauer, who is chairing the investigation, said during a press conference on Sunday that he has summoned a Marine Board of Investigation, the highest level of investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. The board’s role is to determine the cause of the tragedy in order to pursue civil or criminal sanctions as necessary.

Voice recordings between the Titan and its mothership Polar Prince will be reviewed by investigators. The mothership’s crew is also being interviewed by different agencies.

Investigators with the Coast Guard have mapped the accident site and salvage operations are expected to continue, Cpt Jason Neubauer said. Once the investigation is wrapped — a timeline has not been laid out — a report with evidence, conclusions and recommendations will be released.

‘Ridiculous’: Titanic museums mocked for having memorials for submarine expedition

06:00 , Namita Singh

Two memorials were held last week at Titanic museums across the US, in honour of the five people who died earlier this month on a submarine expedition to the famous ship wreck.

The services were held at Titanic museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri.

Both museums are owned by John Josyln, part of a team that explored the Titanic wreckage in a famous 1987 televised expedition.

Report:

‘Ridiculous’: Titanic museums mocked for having memorials for submarine expedition

US Coast Guard ‘taking all precautions’ in case it finds bodies in Titan search

05:30 , Andrea Blanco

Investigators looking into the implosion of the Titan submersible are “taking all precautions” in case they find bodies on the sea floor, it has emerged.

Captain Jason Neubauer, who is chairing the US Coast Guard investigation into the implosion of the vessel, made the comments as the search and rescue aspects of the response came to an end.

British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed on board the submersible, alongside the American chief executive of the company responsible for the vessel, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Salvage operations are continuing and investigators have mapped the accident site, Cpt Neubauer told a press conference in Boston.

He also said the convening of a Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of investigation conducted by the US Coast Guard. It is unclear how long it will take.

Family of billionaire and son lost on Titanic sub were aboard support ship, mother reveals

04:30 , Andrea Blanco

Christine Dawood says she and her 17-year-old daughter, Alina, were on the Polar Prince when tragedy struck.

The Independent’s Graeme Massie reports:

Family of billionaire and son lost on Titanic sub were aboard support ship

When wealthy adventurers take huge risks, who should pay for rescue attempts?

04:00 , Namita Singh

When millionaire Steve Fossett’s plane went missing over the Nevada range in 2007, the swashbuckling adventurer had already been the subject of two prior emergency rescue operations thousands of miles apart.

And that prompted a prickly question: After a sweeping search for the wealthy risktaker ended, who should foot the bill?

In recent days, the massive hunt for a submersible vehicle lost during a north Atlantic descent to explore the wreckage of the Titanic has refocused attention on that conundrum. And with rescuers and the public fixated first on saving and then on mourning those aboard, it has again made for uneasy conversation.

“Five people have just lost their lives and to start talking about insurance, all the rescue efforts and the cost can seem pretty heartless — but the thing is, at the end of the day, there are costs,” said Arun Upneja, dean of Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration and a researcher on tourism.

Report:

When wealthy adventurers take huge risks, who should foot the bill for rescue attempts?

MrBeast claims he turned down trip on Titanic submarine days before fatal disaster

03:30 , Andrea Blanco

Popular YouTuber MrBeast has claimed that he turned down a trip on the Titanic submarine that imploded earlier this week.

Read more:

MrBeast claims he turned down trip on Titanic submarine days before fatal disaster

Titan submersible's thrusters put on 'backwards' during terrifying 2022 trip

02:30 , Andrea Blanco

Canadian police weigh criminal investigation over Titan sub disaster

01:30 , Andrea Blanco

Police in Canada announced on Saturday that they are considering a criminal investigation over the deaths of five men in the Oceangate submersible implosion.

Superintendent Kent Osmond of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Newfoundland and Labrador said law enforcement were in the early stages of the probe.

“Following the US Coast Guard’s announcement earlier this week that debris from the submersible was located and all five on board were presumed dead, we will now look at the circumstances that led to those deaths,” Mr Osmond said, at a press conference.

Read more:

Canadian police weigh criminal investigation over Titan sub disaster

Who is Stockton Rush? The OceanGate CEO killed in Titanic tourist submarine

Tuesday 27 June 2023 00:30 , Andrea Blanco

The Princeton graduate and Titan submarine entrepreneur insisted Atlantic dives were not dangerous and once said: “At some point, safety just is pure waste. If you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed.”

The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad reports:

Who is Stockton Rush? The OceanGate CEO killed in Titanic tourist submarine

Why did the Titanic sub implode?

Monday 26 June 2023 23:30 , Andrea Blanco

In the days after OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush and his four-paying crew members went missing on their dive to the wreck of the Titanic, experts had several theories as to their fate.

Perhaps the group had managed to surface and were awaiting rescue amid the Atlantic waves. Perhaps they were trapped underwater within the hull of their broken-down submersible, running out of air. Or perhaps they had suffered the worst-case scenario: a sudden, catastrophic hull breach, causing their sub to rapidly buckle under the crushing pressure of the water above them.

On Thursday, those worst fears were confirmed after the US Coast Guard announced that it had found pieces of the Titan submersible scattered across the ocean floor about 1,600 feet from the bow of the ill-fated ocean liner.

But what exactly caused the Titan to implode? While we don’t yet know the truth of what happened, we do know enough to have some idea of what might have sealed the sub’s fate.

Io Dodds reports:

Why did the Titanic sub implode?

An 1851 maritime law protected the Titanic’s owners in court. Could OceanGate use it too?

Monday 26 June 2023 22:30 , Andrea Blanco

The owners of Titanic sought to limit liability following the ship’s sinking by petitioning under 1851 legislation. The owners of the submersible lost on its dive to visit that famed ship’s wreckage may do the same thing, legal experts tell The Independent’s Sheila Flynn.

An 1851 maritime law protected Titanic owners in court. Could OceanGate use it too?

Netflix criticised over timing of freediving documentary amid Titanic submarine search

Monday 26 June 2023 20:10 , Andrea Blanco

Netflix is facing criticism on social media after the streaming giant released a trailer for its new freediving documentary amid the search for the missing Titan submarine, and before the US Coast Guard determined the crew had died during a catastrophic implosion.

Produced by A24, The Deepest Breath tells the story of Alessia Zecchini, the current holder of the freediving world record.

The trailer was shared on Tuesday (20 June) as rescue efforts were well underway to find the five missing passengers onboard the Titan, which went missing on an expedition to see the Titanic shipwreck.

Ross Kemp previously turned down dive on Titan

Monday 26 June 2023 19:46 , Andrea Blanco

Ross Kemp has shared that he once turned down the opportunity to take a trip on the Titan submersible to see the wreck of the Titanic.

The presenter had planned to film on board the OceanGate Expeditions vessel, which imploded and killed five passengers last week, but his production company deemed the submarine unsafe.

Kemp told Lorraine: “Personally, for me, I’m not an expert on submarines and I would never make a decision about whether I would be fit or not fit to go down in that said submarine.

“My main feelings are for the families because they’re grieving now.”

Florida couple drop lawsuit against OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush

Monday 26 June 2023 19:00 , Andrea Blanco

A Florida couple who sued Stockton Rush for refusing to refund their $210,000 deposit for a Titanic shipwreck tour have dropped the lawsuit after the OceanGate Expeditions CEO was among five to die in a “catastrophic implosion” last week.

The Independent’s Bevan Hurley reports:

Florida couple drop lawsuit against OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush

Son turned down father’s offer for ‘bucket list’ trip on doomed Titanic sub over safety fears

Monday 26 June 2023 18:40 , Andrea Blanco

A 20-year-old man who had a lucky escape from the doomed Titanic sub disaster has revealed how he turned down his father’s offer of a “bucket list” trip because he feared the vessel wasn’t safe.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp reports:

Son explains why he turned down dad’s offer of trip on doomed Titanic sub

OceanGate sub pilot job opening sparks backlash on TikTok

Monday 26 June 2023 17:58 , Andrea Blanco

A job advert posted by the company that operated the doomed Titanic submersible that imploded last week in the Atlantic Ocean has sparked backlash on social media.

Read more:

OceanGate sub pilot job opening sparks backlash on TikTok

Voice recordings under scrutiny in Titanic sub implosion investigation

Monday 26 June 2023 15:53 , Andrea Blanco

Voice recordings and other data will be reviewed as part of a US Coast Guard-appointed expert board’s probe into the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible last week.

The Independent has more:

Voice recordings under scrutiny in Titanic sub implosion investigation

VOICES: Why ‘dark tourists’ pay to put their lives at risk

Monday 26 June 2023 15:33 , Andrea Blanco

“The phenomenon of “dark tourism” has fascinated researchers for many years, but tourists are being increasingly drawn to places associated with atrocity, violence and disaster. Historic sites include Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chernobyl (before the war in Ukraine) and Ground Zero. However, “experiences” can now be excursions to sites of slavery, war, the famous dead, serial murder, natural disasters and, as in the case of the OceanGate trip, maritime tragedies such as the Titanic.”

Dr Donna Poade writes:

Opinion: Why ‘dark tourists’ pay to put their lives at risk

‘Recovery of items from sea floor’ is top priority, US Coast Guard says

Monday 26 June 2023 15:00 , Andrea Blanco

The Coast Guard opened a marine board investigation on Friday and is working with the FBI to salvage debris on the sea floor at a depth of more than two miles below the surface.

Captain Jason Neubauer, chief investigator with the US Coast Guard, told reporters on Sunday, that that the “priority of the investigation is to recover items from the sea floor.”

The Independent’s Graeme Massie reports:

US Coast Guard declares ‘recovery of items from sea floor’ as Titanic sub priority

Titan submersible’s thrusters put on ‘backwards’ during terrifying 2022 trip

Monday 26 June 2023 14:14 , Andrea Blanco

Resurfaced footage shows the terrifying moment the Titan submarine’s thrusters stopped working during a 2022 expedition to the Titanic wreck.

In an episode of the Travel Show on the BBC, a group of fee-paying visitors travel in the submersible to see the sunken liner.

“I’m thrusting and nothing is happening... One of the thrusters is thrusting backwards right now,” a crew member says.

The crew were told by OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush to rotate the games controller used to steer the vehicle in order to go forwards.

The resurfaced footage comes after five people died on board the submarine after a “catastrophic implosion.”

Who are Shahzada Dawood’s wife Christine and daughter Alina?

Monday 26 June 2023 13:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

More details have emerged about the father and son who died in the Titan disaster as the teenager’s mother reveals she was on board the support boat when the implosion happened.

Christine Dawood, mother of 19-year-old Suleman Dawood and wife to Shahzada Dawood, both of whom were on the doomed submersible, has revealed she gave up her place on the trip so her son could go.

Ms Dawood and her 17-year-old daughter, Alina, were on the Polar Prince, the sub’s support vessel, when the Titan lost communications and was never heard from again, she told the BBC.

Who are Shahzada Dawood’s wife Christine and daughter Alina?

Canadian police weigh criminal investigation

Monday 26 June 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco

Police in Canada announced on Saturday that they are considering a criminal investigation over the deaths of five men in the OceanGate submersible implosion.

Superintendent Kent Osmond of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Newfoundland and Labrador said law enforcement were in the early stages of the probe.

The Independent’s Ariana Baio reports:

Canadian police weigh criminal investigation over Titan sub disaster

Mother of teenager killed in Titanic sub implosion gave up spot for ‘excited’ son

Monday 26 June 2023 12:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The mother of the teenager who died on the Titanic submersible said she was meant to be onboard instead of her son.

Christine Dawood said her husband, Shahzade, and son, Suleman, were “excited” to go on the mission to see the Titanic.

She said it was her husband’s “life-long dream” and so the couple had planned to go down to do the tour together.

“It was supposed to be Shahzade and I are going down, and then I stepped back and gave the space to Suleman because he really wanted to go,” she said.

WATCH: Missing Titanic submarine: What happened to the Titan tourist submersible?

Monday 26 June 2023 11:00

Teenage Titanic submarine victim’s mother shares last moments she had with son

Monday 26 June 2023 10:52 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The mother of a teenager who died in the Titan submersible has shared the last words she exhanged with her son.

Suleman Dawood, 19, and his father Shahzada Dawood, died on board the submarine alongside three other passengers: OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush, British businessman Hamish Harding, 58, and renowned French diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77.

Christine Dawood was on the submersible’s support ship accompanied by her daughter when she learned that communication with the vessel had been lost.

In her first interview, Ms Dawood described the last moments she shared with her son.

“We just hugged, and joked actually.”

Teenage Titanic submarine victim’s mother shares last moments she had with son

US Coast Guard debunks pictures ‘showing Titan’s wreck’

Monday 26 June 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco

Photographs circulating online, which internet users claimed showed the remains of OceanGate’s Titan submersible, have been debunked.

The US Coast Guard confirmed to the Associated Press reported that there are no public images of the wreckage so far.

Two of the pictures that allegedly showed the Titan’s debris are actually from the remains of the Titanic itself and were taken in 2004.

Will OceanGate face legal action?

Monday 26 June 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco

Prior to embarking on the journey, the five passengers signed liability waivers accepting that it could result in death.

But, despite this, the waiver may not shield OceanGate from potential lawsuits by the victims’ families.

Timothy E Allen, an attorney and former Secret Service agent, said in a statement to The Independent that waivers won’t protect the company if it turns out there was defects with the sub.

“Submarines operate in a high-pressure environment, and any flaws or weaknesses in the construction, design, or materials used can potentially lead to catastrophic failures such as implosion,” he said.

“If it can be established that the implosion was caused by inherent defects in the mechanics or engineering of the submarine, the responsible party may be held liable, even if a waiver was signed.”

Bodies of missing Titanic sub passengers 'may never be recovered'

Monday 26 June 2023 08:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The bodies of the five passengers aboard the Titanic sub that was lost in a “catastrophic implosion” near the wreck may never be recovered from the Atlantic, the US Coast Guard said.

The pressure chamber of the OceanGate Titan was found among other debris, approximately 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor by a remote operated vehicle (ROV) on Thursday.

“This is an incredibly unforgiving environment out there on the sea floor. The debris is consistent with the catastrophic implosion of the vessel. We will continue to work and search the area down there but I don’t have an answer on prospects at this time,” said Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard.

Graeme Massie has more.

Bodies of missing Titanic sub passengers may never be recovered, Coast Guard says

Titanic to ‘return to Netflix’ on 1 July

Monday 26 June 2023 07:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The 1997 blockbuster Titanic will return to Netflix in July - just weeks after a doomed expedition to the ocean liner’s resting place on the ocean floor.

The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet is returning to the streaming platform on 1 July, according to HuffPost, along nearly 100 other titles.

It is unclear whether the decision to add Titanic was made before or after the Titan submersible tragedy this week but some on social media suggested Netflix “could’ve picked a better time” and suggested that the company was seizing on the tragedy to increase viewing figures.

Andrea Blanco reports.

Titanic to ‘return to Netflix’ on 1 July

A British billionaire, father and son and renowned diver: Who was on the Titanic submarine?

Monday 26 June 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco

The pilot and four passengers of the Titan submersible that vanished during a mission to explore the Titanic wreckage are believed to be dead, authorities say.

British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, UK citizens Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet and OceanGate Expeditions chief executive Stockton Rush had “sadly been lost”, the company announced.

Who was on the missing Titanic submarine?

US Coast Guard investigating cause of Titanic sub implosion

Monday 26 June 2023 06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The US Coast Guard yesterday announced it is investigating the cause of the undersea implosion of a tourist submersible that killed all five people aboard while diving to the Titanic wreck.

The announcement comes a day after Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said it was conducting its own investigation into the implosion of the Titan, which has raised questions about the unregulated nature of such expeditions.

“My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence by making the necessary recommendations to enhance the safety of the maritime domain worldwide,” Captain Jason Neubauer, the coast guard’s chief investigator said.

The coast guard opened what it calls a marine board investigation on Friday, Mr Neubauer said, and is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to recover evidence, including a salvage operation at the debris site on the seabed.

Who fill foot the bill for rescue efforts?

Monday 26 June 2023 06:00 , Andrea Blanco

The US Coast Guard declined Friday to provide a cost estimate for its efforts to locate the Titan, the submersible investigators say imploded not far from the world’s most famous shipwreck. The five people lost included a billionaire British businessman and a father and son from one of Pakistan’s most prominent families.

The operator charged passengers $250,000 each to participate in the voyage.

“We cannot attribute a monetary value to Search and Rescue cases, as the Coast Guard does not associate cost with saving a life,” the agency said.

While the Coast Guard’s cost for the mission is likely to run into the millions of dollars, it is generally prohibited by federal law from collecting reimbursement related to any search or rescue service, said Stephen Koerting, a US attorney in Maine who specializes in maritime law.

But that does not resolve the larger issue of whether wealthy travelers or companies should bear responsibility to the public and governments for exposing themselves to such risk.

“This is one of the most difficult questions to attempt to find an answer for,” said Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union, noting scrutiny of government-funded rescues dating back to British billionaire Richard Branson’s hot air balloon exploits in the 1990s.

“This should never be solely about government spending, or perhaps not even primarily about government spending, but you can’t help thinking about how the limited resources of rescuers can be utilized,” Sepp said.

AP

French diver helped a company excavate 5,000 artifacts from the Titanic

Monday 26 June 2023 05:06 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The French billionaire diver who died in the Titan submersible reportedly spent two decades working with a company that had the sole right to retrieve and display artifacts from the Titanic wreck site.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of the five people on board the sub and the most prolific Titanic divers in history, led five expeditions for the private salvage firm RMS Titanic Inc to collect over 5,000 artifacts from the shipwreck, according to Insider.

The artifacts included anything between shaving kits and chandeliers on board the vessel.