Vessel’s implosion can be heard on new video from expedition to Titanic wreckage

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, Newfoundland, Wednesday, June 28, 2023. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press)

CONCORD, N.H. — U.S. Coast Guard officials investigating the disappearance of an experimental submersible on its way to the Titanic wreckage in 2023 have released video recorded aboard its support ship from the moment the sound of its implosion reached the ocean’s surface.

The Titan vanished June 18, 2023, on its way to the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean, setting off a five-day search that ended with authorities saying all five passengers had died when the vessel imploded.

On board were Stockton Rush, CEO of the company that built the Titan, along with British explorer Hamish Harding, veteran French diver Paul Henri Nargeolet, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.

The implosion sparked international debate about the future of private deep-sea travel and an ongoing Coast Guard investigation. After holding public hearings in September, the Coast Guard last week released a two-and-a-half minute video showing Rush’s wife, Wendy Rush, and an OceanGate employee monitoring the submersible’s descent from the Polar Prince support ship.

The video shows Wendy Rush and Gary Foss sitting in front of a computer. After a faint sound like a closing door, Rush asks, “What was that bang?”

The Coast Guard says it believes it was the sound of the Titan’s implosion reaching the surface of the ocean. About 2 minutes later, Foss says, “We’ve lost tracking.”

Concerns were raised after the implosion because of the Titan’s unconventional design and its creator’s refusal to submit to independent safety checks. OceanGate suspended operations in July 2023.

Holly Ramer, The Associated Press