We May Soon Know More About the Titanic Sub Implosion

Hearing is scheduled for September
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 31, 2024 9:40 AM CDT
Hearing on Titanic Submersible Implosion Is Finally Scheduled
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 via AP, File)

The Coast Guard will hold a long-awaited public hearing in September about the deadly Titanic submersible disaster as it continues its investigation into the implosion of the vessel. The experimental Titan submersible imploded en route to the Titanic, killing all five people on board, in June 2023. The US Coast Guard quickly convened a high-level investigation into what happened, but that investigation is taking longer than originally anticipated, reports the AP.

A formal hearing that's a key piece of the Marine Board of Investigation's inquiry will begin on Sept. 16 in North Charleston, South Carolina, Coast Guard officials said on Monday. It will stretch out over nearly two weeks, ending on either Sept. 26 or Sept. 27. The marine board is expected to issue a report with evidence, conclusions, and recommendations when its investigation is finished, the Coast Guard said. Coast Guard officials said in a statement that the purpose of the hearing will be to "consider evidence related to the loss of the Titan submersible."

The Titan was the subject of scrutiny in the undersea exploration community in part because of its unconventional design and its creator's decision to forgo standard independent checks. "The hearing will examine all aspects of the loss of the Titan, including pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications, mechanical and structural systems, emergency response, and the submersible industry," the Coast Guard said in a statement.

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The implosion killed Titan operator Stockton Rush; veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood; and British adventurer Hamish Harding. OceanGate, a company co-founded by Rush that owned the submersible, suspended operations a year ago. (Writer Susan Casey was warned not to get in the sub in 2018.)

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