U.S. Coast Guard launches investigation into Titan submersible implosion
The U.S. Coast Guard has announced the launch of an investigation into the implosion of the Titan submersible that killed the five people on board.
The Deseret News reported that the Titan lost communications with the Canadian research ship Polar Prince about an hour and 45 minutes after the dive initially began and that the U.S. Navy heard a potential implosion of the submersible on June 18.
The Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation is looking into the case and is set to include officials “from Canada, France and the United Kingdom as they look into what caused the deadly implosion,” according to CBS News.
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Why is there an investigation into Titan? Questions have reportedly been raised following the incident for what regulations should be in place for companies using submersibles.
The Guardian reported that some questions being asked following the incident included questions about “the craft’s experimental design, safety standards and lack of certification” for the submersible.
“My primary goal is to prevent a similar occurrence by making the necessary recommendations to advance the safety of the maritime domain worldwide,” chief investigator Capt. Jason Neubauer said, according to ABC News.
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What has been said? A Navy official reportedly told The Associated Press, “Efforts are focused on helping map the debris field in preparation for recovery efforts and to support investigative actions. Efforts to mobilize equipment such as the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System have been discontinued.”
Axios reported that Neubauer said that officials investigating the incident “are taking all proper precautions on site if we are to encounter any human remains.”
James Cameron, director of the film “Titanic” who has made 33 trips to the Titanic wreckage himself, reportedly said about the incident, “We got confirmation within an hour that there had been a loud bang at the same time that the sub comms were lost. A loud bang on the hydrophone. Loss of transponder. Loss of comms. I knew what happened. The sub imploded.”
