United States Coast Guard: Possible human remains in debris from imploded Titan submersible

July 5, 2023



On June 28, the announced the debris from 's  submersible, which it presumed imploded during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic on June 18, contained "presumed human remains". -based remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) returned debris to land earlier the same day.

After approximately an hour and 45 minutes' descent, the Titan lost contact with its support ship, the . A search effort involving ships and ROVs began, and an ROV found debris about from the  of the Titanic on June 22. US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger stated the debris was "consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vehicle."

A acoustic system identified an "an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion" on June 18 in the area where the Titan was last detected. An official told NPR the Navy decided to continue the mission "as a search and rescue and make every effort to save the lives on board." Search crews reported sounds at 30-minute intervals the 's Carl Hartsfield noted others claimed to be "banging noises", but Mauger said "[t]here doesn't appear to be any connection between the noises" and the missing submersible.

With extreme pressure at that depth, an implosion would have instantly killed the five on board: OceanGate CEO, Pakistani-born British executive and his British 19-year-old son Suleman, British businessman  and French explorer.