One of the final messages from the ill-fated Titan submersible crew before its catastrophic implosion was “all good here,” according to testimony from a U.S. Coast Guard hearing. The five-person submersible lost communication with its mother ship, the Polar Prince, shortly after this message, sent an hour into its dive toward the wreck of the Titanic.
The hearing presented new evidence, including an image of the Titan’s tail cone, found on the seafloor after the disaster. Investigators also recreated the sub’s journey, revealing patchy communications and problems with the vessel’s equipment.
Titan’s last message, sent at 10:47 a.m. local time, indicated it had dropped two weights. Moments later, communication was lost, and the sub imploded, killing all aboard.
The Coast Guard’s two-week inquiry is focused on understanding the cause of the tragedy and preventing similar incidents. Officials highlighted the submersible’s past issues, including 118 equipment problems reported on previous dives. Some equipment failures left passengers stranded for hours.
OceanGate, the company behind Titan, suspended operations after the tragedy. Testimony at the hearing described a culture where CEO Stockton Rush made critical decisions and resisted safety concerns raised by employees.
This public phase of the investigation seeks to address safety and regulatory concerns in undersea exploration. The inquiry could lead to civil penalties or criminal referrals to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The U.S. Coast Guard has released underwater footage showing the wreckage of the Titan submersible, which imploded killing all five inside in June 2023, on the sea floor.