Titanic submarine passengers presumed dead: US Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard said Thursday afternoon that the five passengers aboard the missing Titan submarine are presumed dead after debris from the vessel was found on the seafloor. 

“The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said. “Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families. On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families.”

The announcement came after the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic deployed a remotely operated vehicle that found five major pieces of debris 1,600 feet from the Titanic. According to Mauger, the Coast Guard is uncertain if they will be able to uncover the victim’s bodies. 

“This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the seafloor and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” Mauger said. “We’ll continue to work and continue to search the area down there, but I don’t have an answer for prospects at this time.” 

The twenty-two-foot vessel lost contact with its surface vessel, the Polar Prince, two hours into its dive to the site of the Titanic wreckage. Among the passengers inside the Titan were OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush; British businessman Hamish Harding; father-and-son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, who are members of one of Pakistan’s wealthiest families; and Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a leading Titanic expert.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans,” OceanGate said in a statement. “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time.”

The Coast Guard will begin to demobilize the medical personnel and nine vessels involved in the search over the next twenty-four hours, Mauger said, but a remote investigation will continue indefinitely.