US coastguard releases video of moment submersible’s implosion was heard

US coastguard 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 on 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, chief executive 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 coastguard investigation.

After holding public hearings in September, the coastguard last week released a two-and-a-half minute video showing Mr 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 coastguard said it believes it was the sound of the Titan’s implosion reaching the surface of the ocean.

About two minutes later, Mr Foss said: “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.