What Happened to the Titanic Submersible?
The five people inside a submersible that went missing Sunday are believed to be dead, according to the U.S. Coast Guard and the company that operated the vessel.
The craft, called Titan and operated by OceanGate Expeditions, dived in an area about 900 miles off Massachusetts’ Cape Cod on an expedition to visit the wreck of the Titanic. Titan lost contact with a research vessel on the surface about one hour and 45 minutes into the dive, kicking off a desperate, dayslong search for the submersible and its passengers.
The Coast Guard said Thursday it found debris consistent with “the catastrophic loss” of the submersible’s pressure chamber approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic.
What’s the latest update on the search?
The search uncovered five major pieces of debris that told investigators they had found the Titan’s remains, including a nose cone and the front-end bell of the pressure hull, officials said at a news briefing Thursday.
The debris was found on the ocean floor in a smooth area without any debris from the Titanic shipwreck, said Carl Hartsfield of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, which was helping with the search.
“The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” said Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger, who has been leading the search. Experts previously said death would have been instantaneous in those circumstances.
Asked about the prospect of finding the passengers’ bodies, Mauger said the operation took place in “an incredibly unforgiving environment.”
“We’ll continue to work and to search the area but I don’t have an answer for prospects,” he said.
Teams and equipment from around the world converged in a remote part of the North Atlantic to help with the search. They combed an area at least twice the size of Connecticut for the 22-foot-long Titan.
Rescuers had focused on an area where Canadian aircraft detected banging noises underwater, officials said Wednesday. Officials said Thursday there didn’t appear to be any connection between the noises and where debris from the vessel was found.
What is the timeline of events?
Officials are still piecing together a timeline to determine when the submersible imploded, Mauger said.
A top secret military acoustic detection system designed to spot enemy submarines first heard what the U.S. Navy suspected was the Titan implosion hours after the submersible began its voyage Sunday, according to officials involved in the search.
Who were the passengers on the Titan submersible?
Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood was on the craft with his 19-year-old son, Suleman, according to a statement from the family’s company. The Dawoods, one of Pakistan’s richest families, are owners of a conglomerate called Engro that produces everything from electricity to fertilizer to milk.
British aviator and explorer Hamish Harding was also on board, according to his company Action Aviation, which specializes in services including aircraft brokerage, management and financing. Harding had undertaken a series of record-breaking challenges that led him to the depths of the ocean and around the world. He also went to space on a Blue Origin flight last year.
Another passenger, Paul-Henry Nargeolet, was considered a leading authority on the Titanic wreck, according to the website of Experiential Media Group. The Georgia-based company lists Nargeolet as its director of underwater research.
Nargeolet spent 22 years in the French Navy, rising to the rank of commander. He completed more than three dozen dives to the site of the wreckage.
OceanGate’s founder and chief executive, Stockton Rush, was also aboard the submersible, according to a spokesman for the company.
What is OceanGate Expeditions?
Rush founded OceanGate in 2009, saying in a speech last year that he wanted to expand deep-sea exploration.
The Washington-based firm owns three submersibles, including the Titan, that have completed more than 200 deep-sea dives, according to the company’s website. OceanGate completed two trips to the Titanic wreck in 2021 and 2022.
This year’s expedition was slated to last 10 days, with eight days at sea. Stefan Williams, a professor of marine robotics at the University of Sydney, said it takes about two hours to travel from the surface of the ocean to the wreckage in the submersible.
OceanGate, a privately owned company, lists six board members, including Rush, on its website. The other members include an astronaut and a financial executive.
Tourists can pay $250,000 to join an expedition to see the Titanic.
What documents did passengers sign?
Past travelers on the Titan said they signed a waiver before boarding that mentioned the risk of death at least three times.
生词记录
submersible 潜水器，深潜器
vessel 容器，器皿；船，舰
wreck 破坏，损坏；沉船，严重损毁的交通工具
kick off 开球，开始
debris 碎片，残渣
catastrophic 灾难性的；失败的
chamber 会议室；腔，膛；议院
bow 鞠躬；船头，舰首；蝴蝶结
nose cone 航天器，飞机或导弹的锥头
hull 船体
instantaneous 即刻的，瞬时的
converge 趋同；汇聚，集中
comb 梳子；仔细搜查
bang重击，发出巨响
piece sth together 拼合，凑集
implode 内爆；崩溃
acoustic 声音的，听觉的
submarine 潜艇
voyage 航海，航行
conglomerate 企业集团
fertilizer 肥料
aviator 飞行员
on board 在船上
brokerage 经纪商
wreckage 残骸
expedition 探险，考察
slate 预定，计划，安排；候选名单
waiver 弃权声明书
