By The U.S. Coast Guard has revealed the final messages exchanged between the ill-fated Titan submersible and its surface support ship, the Polar Prince, moments before the vessel imploded during its descent to the Titanic wreckage last year.
The details emerged Monday at the start of a two-week hearing into the tragedy that claimed five lives on June 18, 2023.
The Coast Guard presented an animated recreation of the dive, detailing the communication exchange between the Titan and the Polar Prince. The submersible began its descent around 9:20 a.m. local time, with routine messages exchanged for about 40 minutes. Just before 10:00 a.m., communication issues arose, leading to a series of urgent messages from the Polar Prince.
During this period of sporadic communication, the Titan acknowledged problems, stating they had “lost system and chat settings.” At 10:15 a.m., in what would be its final coherent message, the Titan responded “All good here” after the Polar Prince expressed concern about the quality of communications.
The last reported position from the Titan came at 10:24 a.m., when it notified the Polar Prince it was “east south east [of] the nbow,” likely referring to its proximity to the Titanic wreckage. Shortly after, the Polar Prince’s final query went unanswanted, marking the last contact with the submersible.
Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a renowned explorer aboard the submersible, is believed to have sent these messages, according to Coast Guard officials.
The hearing, which began on September 16, 2024, is expected to last two weeks. It aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the events leading to the tragedy and to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The implosion resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including two prominent British businessmen. The incident has raised questions about the safety protocols and regulations surrounding deep-sea exploration vessels.
OceanGate, the company that owned and operated the Titan, has ceased all exploration operations following the tragedy. Employees of the company are scheduled to provide testimony during the hearing.
