Authorities Announce Official Probe Being Launched Into Catastrophic Loss of Titanic Submersible
Officials of two nations will be investigating the deaths of five last week aboard the Titan submersible.
Debris from the sub was found last week at a depth of about 12,500 feet and about 1,600 feet from the wreckage of the Titanic, according to the U.K. Independent.
“The debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger said at a news conference Thursday, according to CNN.
As a result, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will join the investigation.
Voice recordings and data from the mother ship that carried the Titan submersible before it imploded will be examined, investigators sayhttps://t.co/M5QgoL8Fve
— CNN (@CNN) June 25, 2023
“The U.S. Coast Guard has declared the loss of the Titan submersible to be a major marine casualty and will lead the investigation. The NTSB has joined the investigation and will contribute to their efforts. The USCG is handling all media inquiries related to this investigation,” the National Transportation Safety Board posted on Twitter.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is also investigating, according to a news release on its website.
“In accordance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements, the TSB, as the investigation authority of the flag state of the support vessel involved in the occurrence, will conduct a safety investigation regarding the circumstances of this operation conducted by the Canadian-flagged vessel Polar Prince,” the board said in a release.
NEW CLEAR AUDIO: The Navy caught the #titan #implosion. Terrifying last moments. Easily preventable. #oceangate #Submersible pic.twitter.com/mpFexhloA9
— Starling Zain (@StarlingZain) June 25, 2023
Investigators from the board visited the Polar Prince, on Saturday “to collect information from the vessel’s voyage data recorder and other vessel systems that contain useful information,” Kathy Fox, chair of the board, said, according to CNN.
The Polar Prince has returned to St. John’s in Newfoundland.
The Canadian agency’s goal is to “find out what happened and why and to find out what needs to change to reduce the chance or the risk of such occurrences in the future,” Fox said, according to CNN.
Audio recordings from the Polar Prince are likely to be part of the investigation.
“The content of those voice recordings could be useful in our investigation,” Fox said, according to CNN.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced it is investigating whether “criminal, federal, or provincial laws may possibly have been broken” in relation to the underwater disaster.
“There’s no suspicion of criminal activity per se, but the RCMP is taking initial steps to assess whether or not we will go down that road,” RCMP Superintendent Kent Osmond said Saturday, according to CNN.
Remotely operated vehicles will be at work in the next few days mapping the Titan’s debris field.
Five major pieces of the submersible have been found, with each end of the Titan in a different place.
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