Officials have returned debris from OceanGate's submersible Titan back to land, following a tragic incident that resulted in the death of the passengers aboard. The submersible had been on a mission to explore the wreck of the Titanic, but it faced criticism for its lax safety measures and ultimately imploded.
The recovered pieces of the submersible will now be used by investigators to determine the cause of the implosion. The debris was brought to the Canadian port of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, where experts will analyze the mangled fragments.
A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operated by Horizon Arctic, a Canadian ship, conducted a search of the ocean floor near the Titanic wreck for pieces of the submersible. The offshore operations were completed on Wednesday, according to Pelagic Research Services, the company that owns the ROV.
Images of the debris show twisted and mangled chunks of the OceanGate sub. The submersible had lost contact with its support ship on the surface about 10 days prior to the recovery of the debris. A search and rescue operation was immediately launched, but unfortunately, none of the passengers survived.
The submersible had an estimated 96 hours worth of oxygen reserves for all five people on board when it began its descent. However, after the window for potential survival had passed, the U.S. Coast Guard District Northeast discovered a debris field near the Titanic wreck. The Coast Guard confirmed that the debris field contained parts of the submersible and described the failure as "catastrophic," likely resulting in an implosion.
During the search for the submersible, details emerged about its construction. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush mentioned that he had "broken some rules" when designing the submersible and defended its engineering. The use of carbon fiber material in the design has also been criticized by individuals including Titanic film director James Cameron.
The debris was found approximately 12,500 feet underwater, about 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreck, according to the Coast Guard. The investigation into the cause of the implosion is ongoing.