Searchers find submersible wreckage near Titanic, all 5 men aboard lost at sea
U.S. coast guard says Titan debris consistent with 'catastrophic implosion'
The United States Coast Guard says debris from the missing Titan submersible has been found near the wreck site of the Titanic, and all five men aboard are considered lost at sea.
Shortly before the coast guard's announcement Thursday afternoon, OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned the submersible, said they believe the men aboard to be lost.
"We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew," said the company in a statement Thursday afternoon.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, British aviator Hamish Harding and French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet were all on the submersible. Communication with the Titan submersible was lost Sunday, triggering an international search and rescue operation.
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, U.S. coast guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said a remotely operated vehicle discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible about half a kilometre 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," he said.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) and the Canadian Armed Forces offer their sincere condolences to the family and friends of the crew of the Titan for their tragic loss.
—@hfxjrccMauger said the prospects of recovering the men's bodies are unclear.
"This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor, and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel," he said.
He said the families of the victims were immediately notified.
"On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families," he said. "I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time."
Canadian sonobuoys reported hearing noises on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Mauger said there doesn't appear to be any connection between the noises and the submersible.
Mauger said it's too early to know if the submersible imploded when it lost contact on Sunday — though he noted the sonobuoys, which have been in the area over the past 72 hours, did not detect any catastrophic events.
The announcement comes just a few hours after the U.S. coast guard said a debris field had been discovered by an ROV deployed by the crew of the Horizon Arctic, an offshore supply vessel from Newfoundland. The ship is owned by the same company that operates the Polar Prince — the vessel that has taken criticism for its response after losing communication with the Titan submersible on Sunday.
Mauger said searchers have been able to identify parts of the Titan's pressure chamber
The OceanGate statement thanks everyone involved in the search.
"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," reads the statement.
Search for answers continues
Mauger described the international search operation, which has been ongoing since Monday, as "incredibly complex," and said the ROVs are continuing to gather information.
"I know that there's also a lot of questions how, why and when did this happen. Those are questions that we will collect as much information as we can on."
According to an ocean expert at the conference, the size and location of the debris field and the location of the last communication from the submersible indicates it imploded inside the water column, and that it didn't collide with the wreck of the Titanic.
Three more ships arrived on scene early Thursday to help surface surveillance.
The French ship l'Atalante arrived in the early hours and deployed the Victor 6000, named for its capability to dive as deep as 6,000 metres.
The Canadian Navy ship HMCS Glace Bay also arrived Thursday morning. The ship has a six-person hyperbaric decompression chamber on board.
There was also a remotely operated vehicle en route from British company Magellan.
The ROV can dive the full depth of the search area, having produced imaging of the Titanic in the past.
Mauger said it's too early to say if the tragedy will result in changes to safety regulations for submersibles and similar vessels.
"That's going to be, I'm sure, a focus for future review. Right now we're focused on documenting the scene," he said.
Hope remained into Thursday afternoon
OceanGate Expeditions, the company behind the lost voyage to the Titanic wreckage, said its vessel was equipped with 96 hours of oxygen and supplies. According to the timeline set out by the U.S. coast guard, that window closed early Thursday morning.
Before the news conference, Craig Sopin, a member of the Titanic International Society and a close friend of passenger Paul-Henri Nargeolet, said was it too soon to give up hope.
"The debris would suggest that there may have been an implosion of the submersible on the way down," he told CBC News. "But I'm a little hesitant at this point to make any conclusions."
The renowned Titanic explorer has visited the wreck site more than 30 times since being a member of the first crewed voyage in 1987. His friends were encouraged when the coast guard said a Canadian aircraft had picked up banging noises under the ocean through sonobuoys.
"Those sounds are our only hope and our only link to Paul-Henri," Johann said. "Despite the circumstances, we're staying positive. The information we have gives the impression that the sounds, at such a high frequency, are human in nature."
Larry Daley, who visited the Titanic in 2003, had been friends with Nargeolet for years.
Earlier on Thursday, Daley said he wasn't willing to give up on his friend yet.
"My hope is to sit down and have another Iceberg beer with him at Quidi Vidi Brewery," he said.
Candlelight vigil held to remember victims
A small candlelight vigil was held Thursday evening at Signal Hill, planned by Justine Drover of St. John's before the discovery of debris.
"Obviously now it's more of a memorial, and just in their memory. Just letting them know that we were thinking of them this whole time," Drover told CBC News.
"I followed the journey the whole time. So then to find out it went from [them] missing to running out of oxygen to them finding pieces of it and now to the worst possible ending, it's heart-wrenching and it's a lot to take in."
Drover, who has an avid interest in the Titanic, says the disaster shows the danger involved in seeing the wreckage of the iconic ship. She says the tragedy could signal the end of civilian deep-sea expeditions and adventures like it, adding that it's likely for the best.
"Some things are meant to be left alone, and I think the Titanic might be one of them."
With files from Radio-Canada, Travis Dhanraj and Ontario Today