Titanic submersible update: New report reveals most Titan missions aborted as design may reveal how it imploded

The company that operated the doomed submersible which imploded in the Atlantic promised fee-paying passengers exceptional views of the Titanic’s wreck for $250,000.

But according to an in-depth report by The New York Times published on Sunday, most of the 12,000-ft dives by the Titan did not end with up-close views of the world’s most famous shipwreck.

The Times reported that more missions were aborted than accomplished.

OceanGate began taking customers on dives to the Titanic in 2021, with its late CEO Stockton Rush styling the company as an innovative intersection between research and tourism that looked to push the limits of safety.

But in the aftermath of the tragedy, which killed all five passengers including Mr Rush, several people shared experiences of their Titan dives.

Business owner Bill Price told the Times that on a 2021 dive, the sub lost its propulsion system during the descent. Although Mr Rush immediately aborted the trip, he reportedly couldn’t get a “drop-weight mechanism” to release ballast for the emergency ascent.

Everyone aboard the sub then began shifting sides, using their weight to rock the vessel until the ballast dislodged.

“After several rolls, we got momentum going,” Mr Price told the Times. “Then, we heard a clunk, and we all collectively knew one had dropped off. So we continued to do that, until the weights were all out.”

The next day, the Titan made another dive.

Since the Titan submersible imploded, killing five people aboard, the subject of extreme tourism has been highly debated online and by professionals.

But when the CEO of Pelagic Research Services, the company that helped oversee the recovery mission of the submersible, was asked what his thoughts were on the trips OceanGate took to the Titanic, he claimed he did not have a strong opinion.

“I don’t necessarily have an opinion on that, it’s a strong investigation going on right now,” Edward Cassano said in a press conference on Friday.

The search for the missing Titan submersible fully captured the world’s attention, from reports of mysterious “banging” noises to estimates of how much oxygen may have been left in the underwater vessel.

The search for the submersible captured the attention of millions, as phrases such as “Titan” and hashtags like #OceanGate dominated Twitter’s top trending and TikTok For You Pages. According to Dr Justin D’Arienzo – a clinical psychologist in Jacksonville, Florida and former US Navy psychologist – the reason the public has been so invested is down to our desire to relate to others that sustains our obsession.

“We all can relate to that feeling of being trapped somewhere or being in the water or experiencing that level of uncertainty,” he tells The Independent. “What makes it so relatable is that we all could imagine being helpless with other humans and not know what to do.”

Suleman Dawood, 19, was a student at Strathclyde University in Glasgow.

Suelman was aboard the Titan submersible with his father, Shahzada Dawood, when it imploded on Sunday, 18 June.

Suleman was a fan of science fiction literature, according to a statement from the Dawood family.

Christine Dawood, Suleman’s mother, said the expedition to the Titanic meant the world to Shahzada and Suleman, who she described as true explorers who bonded over their love for adventure.

“These two best friends embarked upon this last voyage, their final journey together.”

Shahzada Dawood, 48, was vice-chairman of one of Pakistan’s largest conglomerates, Engro Corporation, with investments in fertilisers, vehicle manufacturing, energy and digital technologies.

Mr Dawood was aboard the Titan submersible with his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood, when it imploded on Sunday 18, June.

Mr Dawood was interested in wildlife photography, gardening and exploring natural habitats.

Mr Dawood’s wife, Christine Dawood, said the expedition to the Titanic meant the world for Shahzada and Suleman, who she described as true explorers who bonded over their love for adventure.

“These two best friends embarked upon this last voyage, their final journey together.”

French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, was director of underwater research at a company that owns the rights to the Titanic wreck and recovers artifacts.

A former commander in the French navy, he was both a deep diver and a mine-sweeper. After retiring from the navy, he led the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987 and several more, becoming a leading authority on the wreck site.

OceanGate described Mr Nargeolet as the “Titanic’s greatest explorer”.

The former naval officer was born in Chamonix, France, but spent his early years in Africa with his parents. He was married to American newsreader Michelle Marsh until she died in 2017.

He completed 35 dives in the submersible. In a 2020 interview, he spoke of the dangers of deep diving, saying: “I am not afraid to die, I think it will happen one day.”

The cost of the unprecedented search for the missing Titan submersible will easily stretch into the millions of dollars, experts said Friday.

There’s no other comparable ocean search, especially with so many countries and even commercial enterprises being involved in recent times, said Norman Polmar, a naval historian, analyst and author based in Virginia.

The aircraft, alone, are expensive to operate, and the Pentagon has put the hourly cost at tens of thousands of dollars. Turboprop P-3 Orion and jet-powered P-8 Poseidon sub hunters, along with C-130 Hercules, were all utilized in the search.

Some agencies can seek reimbursements. But the U.S. Coast Guard — whose bill alone will hit the millions of dollars — is generally prohibited by federal law from collecting reimbursement pertaining to any search or rescue service, said Stephen Koerting, a U.S. attorney in Maine who specializes in maritime law.

“The Coast Guard, as a matter of both law and policy, does not seek to recover the costs associated with search and rescue from the recipients of those services,” the Coast Guard said Friday in a statement.

Several experts have said that the design of the Titan submersible may not have been as suitable as other designs when taking deep dives to the Titanic wreckage.

Chris Roman, a professor at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography told Associated Press that the elongated shape of the Titan could have increased the external pressure.

Mr Roman said the sphere is “the perfect shape” because water pressure is equal on all sides.

The sub imploded on Sunday, 18 June with five people aboard.

That implosion could have been caused by tiny fissures in the hull of the sub, according to Jasper Graham-Jones, an associate professor of mechanical and marine engineering at the University of Plymouth.

Each time the sub went down to the Titanic, tiny cracks would have formed.

“This might be small and undetectable to start but would soon become critical and produce rapid and uncontrollable growth,” Mr Graham-Jones said.

Hamish Harding, 58, was a British billionaire, aviation tycoon and explorer.

Mr Harding is among the five people who died on a failed submarine expedition.

“He was one of a kind and we adored him. He was a passionate explorer – whatever the terrain – who lived his life for his family, his business and for the next adventure,” a statement from Mr Harding’s family reads.

In 2021, he went on a record-setting voyage to Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, which at 36,000 feet below sea level is the deepest part of the ocean.

“What he achieved in his lifetime was truly remarkable and if we can take any small consolation from this tragedy, it’s that we lost him doing what he loved.”

Harding also made record-breaking trips to the South Pole alongside Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the oldest person ever to reach the pole, and Harding’s son Giles, 12, the youngest to ever accomplish the feat.