The last words on board the Titan before the implosion

Investigation to clarify submarine drama in the Atlantic

“Everything is fine here!” The last words on board the Titan before the implosion

The submarine Titan imploded in the Atlantic Ocean with five people on board.

IMAGO

17 September 2024 Uh 08:55 Clock

Shortly after this text message, the submersible imploded!

“Everything is fine here!” wrote the crew of the Titan a few minutes before the accident. But then suddenly nothing is good anymore, because the underwater vehicle disappears to the bottom of the sea in June 2023. All five people on board die.

Investigators reconstruct the Titan’s last dive

The text message from the Titan was now shown at a Coast Guard hearing. Investigators have reconstructed the Titan's last voyage. This includes the last signs of life from the crew before contact with the accompanying ship was lost. The hearing is intended to clarify how the fatal accident could have occurred.

Reading tip: Shocking report shows how unsafe the Titanic submarine really was

On the fateful day, OceanGate founder Stockton Rush (61) set off for the wreck of the sunken Titanic with Paul-Henri Nargeolet (77) at the helm. Also on board were British bargain hunter Hamish Harding (68) and Pakistani darling Shahzada Dawood (48) with his son Suleman (19). They all starred in the submarine drama in the Atlantic.

Reading tip: Suleman († 19) was only on board the Titan because he wanted to make his father happy

Safety concerns even before the submarine accident

Apparently there were major safety concerns even before the accident, as the investigation has now revealed. The former chief engineer of the submarine operator OceanGate, Tony Nissen, is said to have refused to steer the submersible. “I'm not going in there!” he declared at the time.

Reading tip: Submarine expert gives new assessment: Titan victims knew they were dying!

Even after that, there were repeated problems with the underwater vehicle. Before the accident, there were said to have been over 100 material incidents on the submarine, according to US media reports. In 2018, the Titan was apparently struck by lightning. Employees are said to have warned Rush at the time that the hull of the submersible could be damaged. “Everything will be fine,” the company founder is said to have replied.

Reading tip: Titanic submarine implodes: This is what happened to the five passengers