This is the chronology of the Titan: from its disappearance to the catastrophic implosion
Here’s what happened to the Titan submersible vessel, from the time it disappeared until the US Coast Guard declared the death of the five crew members.
On Thursday, June 22, the United States Coast Guard announced that the five crew members of the submersible Titan were presumed dead due to evidence of a “catastrophic implosion”, which took place on the vessel. Here is a chronology of the events that unfolded in the last few days.
When was the disappearance of the submersible?
On Friday, June 16, the submersible left St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, bound for the site of the wreckage of the Titanic. It was towed by the ship Polar Prince. Everything was going well at the beginning of the expedition.
On Sunday, June 18, the Titan began its descent, and then lost communications with the surface vessel. The company OceanGate Expeditions reported that the submersible did not resurface. The United States Coast Guard began the search operation that same day in conjunction with Canada, with the purpose of locating the ship in the area some 900 miles from Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Who was in the submersible?
The crew consisted of five people; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman, French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet, British explorer Hamish Harding and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
What happened after?
On Tuesday, June 20, an international exploration club, who knew the people aboard the missing submersible, shared that “probable signs of life” had been detected near the Titanic wreck area, thus giving a little hope that the submersible crew could be saved.
Crew declared dead
On Thursday, June 22, the United States Coast Guard declared that the five crew members were presumed dead. The debris that was found on the sea floor seems to indicate that the submersible caved in to the immense pressure at great depths which resulted in a “catastrophic implosion”.
What does this mean? The moment pressure builds up outside a space that is contained that the container cannot bear, implosion occurs. The best way to explain it is to think of a soda can being crushed, trapping what’s inside.