‘Catastrophic Implosion’ Killed Titanic Sub-Crew Instantly – US Coast Guard

• Say debris field spotted by ROV scouring seabed ‘consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber’

Five crew members onboard the submersible Titan were probably killed instantly in a “catastrophic implosion” as it descended to the wreck of the Titanic two miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, US Coast Guard officials announced on Thursday.

A large debris field containing multiple sections of the vessel was spotted earlier in the day by a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) scouring the seabed near the Titanic wreck site 400 miles south of St John’s, Newfoundland.

The officials, who spoke at an afternoon press conference in Boston, said; “The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber”.

R Adm John Mauger of the US Coast Guard told reporters; “We immediately notified the family on behalf of the US Coast Guard and the entire unified command. I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them.”

The announcement marked a heartbreaking end to a giant international air and sea search for the sub and its crew. The 22ft (6.7m) sub went missing on Sunday, one hour and 45 minutes into its scheduled 11-hour dive. However, Mauger said it was too early to tell exactly when the implosion occurred, but noted that nothing was detected on sonar buoys deployed in the ocean in recent days.

The US Navy, however, reportedly detected an “anomaly” on Sunday that was likely the Titan’s fatal implosion. US Defense officials told media outlets on Thursday that top secret underwater microphones had detected sounds “consistent with an implosion” shortly after the submersible disappeared and that this information was immediately shared with the US Coast Guard to assist with the search.

“I know there’s a lot of questions about why, how, when this happened,” Mauger said at the press conference, adding; “This is an incredibly difficult and dangerous environment to work in out there, but those questions … are going to be the focus of future review.”

He did not confirm if attempts would be made to recover the bodies. Onboard the submersible were British adventurer, Hamish Harding, 58; French veteran Titanic explorer, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77; British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman; and 61-year-old American Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the outfit that operated the lost sub.

Family members and friends of the men lost on the submersible have begun to release statements about their loss, some asking for privacy in their time of grief.

Nargeolet was the director of underwater research for the RMS Titanic Inc, and had studied the wreck for more than three decades, earning the nickname “Mr Titanic.”

His wife and children said in a statement to CNN that he “will be remembered as one of the greatest deep-sea explorers in modern history”, while the CEO of the RMS Titanic called him an “iconic and inspirational leader in deep-sea exploration”.

The Dawood family, who lost a father and teenage son, said in a statement to the BBC that the family “is grateful to those who showcased the best in humanity”.

“As with any tragedy of this magnitude, it brings out the best and worst in people,” the statement said. “Some go out of their way to contribute and support, others use these moments for personal gains.”

“The immense love and support we receive continue to help us to endure this unimaginable loss,” Hussain and Kulsum Dawood, the parents of Shahzada Dawood, said in a statement.

As it became a major global news story, the search for the missing submersible also became a social media sensation, with users posting speculative theories, jokes, memes, political arguments, and proposals for a film version of the tragedy, all while family members of the missing men were still waiting for news.

James Cameron, the director of the 1997 film Titanic and a member of the close-knit world of deep-sea exploring, spoke out publicly about his concerns about the safety of the technology used to create the submersible and suggested the tragedy had been avoidable.

“You shouldn’t be using an experimental vehicle for paying passengers that aren’t themselves deep-ocean engineers,” Cameron said, adding; “Here we are again. And at the same place. Now there’s one wreck lying next to the other wreck for the same damn reason.”