The investigation into the implosion of the submersible is “complex” and longer than expected, according to American authorities. The tragedy left five dead on June 18, 2023, including Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
On June 18, 2023, the Titan tragically disappeared into the abyss of the Atlantic Ocean, taking with it five passengers motivated by the desire to explore the remains of the wreck of the Titanic. One year to the day after the implosion of the submersible, the investigation continues and turns out to be longer than expected.
• The implosion of the submarine, shortly after its departure
On Sunday June 18, 2023, the OceanGate company submersible was embarked by the Canadian boat Polar Prince 740 kilometers off the coast of Newfoundland, a Canadian island in the Atlantic Ocean. To reach the remains of the Titanic, which sank here in 1912, the submarine and its passengers had to descend for approximately 2.5 hours to reach a depth of 3,800m.
But after 1 hour 45 minutes, the Titan no longer gave any sign of life. After four days of searching, the robots deployed by the rescuers discovered a “debris field” at a depth of 4,000 meters and nearly 500 meters from the wreck of the Titanic. Enough to conclude that there was a “catastrophic implosion” of the submarine linked to water pressure, in the words used by Rear Admiral of the American Coast Guard John Mauger during a press briefing.
In the following weeks, debris from the ship and human remains were finally brought to the surface. All five passengers were killed during the implosion, including French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a Titanic enthusiast, and the founder of OceanGate, the company that manufactured the boat.
• “Complex” investigations that take longer than expected
Disappearing in international waters and taking with him people of different nationalities, several investigations have been opened, particularly in the United States and Canada.
American investigators initially estimated the duration of the investigations at 12 months. The chief investigator of the American Coast Guard, Jason Neubauer, quoted by the specialized magazine WorkBoat, finally indicated that the investigation requires a “complex and continuous effort”, citing “several factors” to justify the length of the investigations.
The initial deadline was notably exceeded due to the organization of “two rescue missions to secure essential evidence and in-depth forensic tests,” said Jason Neubauer, welcoming the “international cooperation” in this investigation.
He also pledged to “fully understand the factors that led to this tragedy to prevent similar events from occurring in the future” and indicated that a public meeting will be organized before the end of the year on this investigation.
Jason Neubauer also denounced to the New York Times the supposed latest communications between the Titan and the Polar Prince which have circulated on the internet. “I am convinced that this is a false transcription,” he told the American media. The document described a series of alarms going off in the small submersible before it imploded and gave the impression that the passengers had panicked.
“It was invented,” assured the investigator, whose team was able to access the recordings of the last communications between the two ships. “No evidence” was found indicating that the five passengers were aware of the Titan’s impending implosion.
• Surveillance of the ship by Canadian authorities questioned
American investigators are also working with the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB), which has also launched investigations. In a letter sent by this agency to the Canadian Ministry of Transport this Monday, June 17 and cited by Radio Canada, the TSB points to the ministry’s responsibility in securing the Titan’s mission.
“The investigation established that Canadian regulatory requirements exist with regard to these operations, as well as an internal Transport Canada policy on submersible passenger boats dated June 2005,” he notes, contrary to to the assertions of the ministry which says it has no authority over submersibles.
But the investigations “did not make it possible to confirm whether these submersibles were subject to surveillance” by the ministry or other certification bodies.
Also, while the Titan and its launch platform were always transported to the dive site or returned to port using a Canadian-flagged vessel, they themselves were not registered or certified by any country during dozens of sorties. made between 2021 and 2023. Other submersibles in the same situation continued to dive in Canadian waters after the implosion of the Titan.
• Warnings ignored
A long investigation published on June 11 by the American monthly Wired also revealed that Stockton Rush, the founder and CEO of OceanGate, ignored numerous tests necessary to ensure the safety of the Titan and silenced his employees. and the specialists who tried to warn him about the risks posed by the ship.
Certain tests carried out prior to its commissioning had also resulted in the implosion of the device, well before it reached the pressure to which it was supposed to withstand.
On April 11, scientists estimated that the integrity of the submersible may have been “compromised by damage to the material used for its hull, which accumulated during the numerous voyages it made before imploding.” . This shell was notably made of carbon fiber, a material “likely to deform” in the event of strong pressure and which has “inevitable imperfections” linked to the manufacturing process. Risks nevertheless brought to the attention of the CEO of OceanGate.
But this drama has, it seems, not dampened the ardor of some, like Larry Connor. This American billionaire announced in the columns of the Wall Street Journal on May 28 that he was teaming up with the director of the firm Triton Submarines to develop a new submersible to target the remains of the Titanic. A project which should see the light of day by the summer of 2026 but for which no travel date to the wreck has yet been revealed.
