OceanGate has released a statement describing the men onboard as 'true explorers'.
The US Coast Guard has said the Titan submersible, which sparked a massive search after going missing on Sunday, was destroyed by a ‘catastrophic implosion’ with the loss of all five people aboard.
Rear Admiral John Mauger told a news conference that analysis of the ‘debris field’ which was found on the floor of the Atlantic near the wreck of the Titanic, which the crew was visiting, led to the conclusion.
The debris was located around 1,600 feet (487m) from the bow of the world-famous ship, which sank with the loss of around 1,500 lives in 1912.
A few minutes before the press conference began, OceanGate – which owned the Titan submersible and organised the expedition – paid tribute to the five ‘true explorers’ who were onboard.
They were:
In a statement, the company said: ‘We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
‘These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.
‘This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss.’
The statement continues: ‘The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.’
Speaking to the press in Boston at 3pm local time, Rear Admiral Mauger said: ‘A remotely operated vehicle from the vessel Horizon Arctic discovered the tailcone of the Titan submersible approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor.
‘The ROV subsequently found additional debris.
‘In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.
‘Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.’
He added: ‘On behalf of the United States Coast Guard, and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families.
‘I can only imagine what this has been like for them, and I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.’
He added that the team had been in ‘close contact’ with the British and French consulates-general.
Asked about the logistics of recovering the bodies of the five crew members, Rear Admiral Mauger said: ‘This is an incredibly unforgiving environment, there on the sea floor.
‘The debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel, and so we’ll continue to work and continue to search the area down there, but I don’t have an answer for prospects at this time.’
He said ROVs would continue sweeping the ocean floor to gather additional clues about what happened to the Titan.
All communication with the 22-foot submersible was lost an hour and 45 minutes into its dive last Sunday, and the US Coast Guard was alerted several hours later.
The subsequent search for the vessel, and speculation about the fate of the five men on board, captivated people around the world for four days.
Ships and planes scanned an area almost twice the size of Northern Ireland for a trace of the tiny sub, but ultimately it was an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that provided the answers.
Appearing on Sky News earlier today, a rescue expert and friend of both Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet said he was anticipating bad news after the announcement that a ‘debris field’ had been discovered.
Dave Mearns said: ‘A debris field implies there’s a break-up of the submersible and at that depth, because we know that they lost communications at around 3,300m.
‘So that really indicates what is the worst case scenario, which is a catastrophe failure, an implosion.’
He added: ‘The only saving grace is that it would have been immediate, literally in milliseconds and the men would have no idea what was happening.’
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