Mon Sep 16 16:19:33 UTC 2024: ## Titan Submersible Implosion: New Photo Released as Hearing Reveals Crew’s Final Words and Alarming Design Concerns
**Charleston, South Carolina** – The first photo of the Titan submersible after its catastrophic implosion has been released, providing a chilling glimpse of the wreckage that claimed the lives of five people in June 2023. The photo, taken by a remotely operated vehicle on June 22nd, shows the sub’s aft tail cone protruding from the ocean floor at a depth of 3,775 meters, alongside other debris.
The image was released during a US Coast Guard hearing into the tragedy, which is expected to last two weeks. The hearing aims to uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The hearing also revealed the last words of the Titan’s crew, who were communicating with support staff on the “Polar Prince” via text messages. After repeated inquiries about the submersible’s depth and weight, contact was lost. The “Polar Prince” sent multiple messages asking if the vessel could still see the ship on its onboard display, to which the Titan’s final response was a simple “all good.”
The hearing also unearthed alarming allegations about the design of the submersible. Tony Nissen, OceanGate’s former engineering director, testified that he was “not surprised” the submersible failed. He claimed to have witnessed “rapid decompression” during testing and voiced concerns about the design to Brian Spencer, the chief executive of the company contracted to build the hull. Nissen alleged that Spencer was “not willing to change anything” despite his warnings.
Further raising concerns, Nissen revealed that the Titan sub was not officially classed by the Classification Society, a body responsible for upholding technical standards in shipbuilding. He attributed this to cost and time considerations, alleging that CEO Stockton Rush was “crying on his shoulder” about the expense and delay involved in certification.
This new information raises serious questions about the safety of the submersible and the decision-making processes that led to its tragic demise. The US Coast Guard’s investigation is expected to shed further light on the events that led to the implosion and potentially reveal critical insights for the future of deep-sea exploration.
First Piper 