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Titanic sub latest news: What we know about the debris field and search Titanic submersible: What we know about the catastrophic implosion
(about 2 hours later)
Watch: What debris has been found and what does it mean?Watch: What debris has been found and what does it mean?
Watch: What debris has been found and what does it mean?Watch: What debris has been found and what does it mean?
A debris field has been discovered in the search for a submersible that went missing in the North Atlantic while exploring the wreck of the Titanic. The US Coast Guard says that a debris field located in the North Atlantic suggests that a submersible missing since Sunday, with five passengers on board, suffered a "catastrophic implosion".
The US Coast Guard said on Twitter that experts "are evaluating the information", and scheduled a press conference for 15:00 EST (20:00 BST). The vessel, which had limited oxygen supplies, went missing deep under the ocean on Sunday after setting off to explore the wreck of the Titanic.
David Mearns, a dive expert and friend of the passengers, told the BBC he had been told the debris includes "a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible". It prompted a massive five-day search and rescue operation led by US, Canadian and French agencies.
The vessel went missing deep under the ocean on Sunday with five people on board. On Thursday evening, the Coast Guard said it had located five major pieces of the Titan amid debris around the Titanic site, which it said was "consistent with catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber".
The agency offered its condolences to the families of the victims and said it could not confirm if their bodies would ever be recovered.
The search is being wound down over the next 24 hours, although remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) will remain on site.
Ahead of its press conference, OceanGate - the company that operates the tours - released a statement saying it believed all five passengers on board "have sadly been lost".
"Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time," the company said. "We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."
Follow live for latest updatesFollow live for latest updates
The Coast Guard hasn't tweeted much in the past few days as the increasingly urgent search played out. The next update is expected to be significant. On Thursday morning local time, two deep-water remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) arrived at the search site. A submersible attached to the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic reached the sea floor.
Many experts the BBC spoke to this week worried that the Titan could have suffered a catastrophic implosion as a result of a hull failure. Such a scenario could explain the debris. The Victor 6000, which is operated from the French research vessel Atalante, was also deployed. It had a robot that could reach the seabed 3,800m (12,500ft) down, and would have had the capacity to lift the Titan sub to the surface.
Guillermo Söhnlein, a co-founder of OceanGate - the company which runs the submersible tours - said today he feared there may have been an "instantaneous implosion".
He was being interviewed as news that debris had been found in the Atlantic came in.
Mr Söhnlein told the BBC: "What I do know is regardless of the sub, when you're operating at depth the pressure is so great on any sub that if there is a failure it would be an instantaneous implosion. If that's what happened that's what would have happened four days ago."
On Thursday morning local time, two deepwater ROVs arrived at the search site. The submersible attached to the Canadian vessel Horizon Arctic reached the sea floor.
The Victor 6000, which is operated from the French research vessel Atalante, was also deployed. It has a robot that can reach the seabed 3,800m (12,500ft) down, and would have the capacity to lift the Titan sub to the surface.
The vehicles designed for navy submarine rescues can't get anywhere near as deep as would be needed.The vehicles designed for navy submarine rescues can't get anywhere near as deep as would be needed.
You can read more about the equipment being used in our visual guide.You can read more about the equipment being used in our visual guide.
Authorities said earlier that the search area had been expanded to approximately twice the size of the US state of Connecticut, and a sub-surface search area of around 2.5 miles (4km) deep.Authorities said earlier that the search area had been expanded to approximately twice the size of the US state of Connecticut, and a sub-surface search area of around 2.5 miles (4km) deep.
Earlier in the search, on Tuesday and Wednesday, hopes were raised when a Canadian plane picked up underwater noises. Earlier in the search, on Tuesday and Wednesday, hopes were raised when a Canadian plane picked up underwater noises, but the US Coast Guard was unable to confirm they were from the sub.
The US Coast Guard did not confirm they were from the sub. On Wednesday the agency said that ROV operations had been relocated "in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises", but "yielded negative results".
On Wednesday the agency said that remotely operated vehicle operations (ROV) had been relocated "in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises", but "yielded negative results". Who was on board?
Who's on board?
Suleman Dawood, 19, and father Shahzada Dawood, 48Suleman Dawood, 19, and father Shahzada Dawood, 48
The five people on board are: The five people on board were:
Hamish Harding, a 58-year-old British businessman and explorerHamish Harding, a 58-year-old British businessman and explorer
Shahzada Dawood, 48-also a British businessman -and his son, Suleman Dawood, 19Shahzada Dawood, 48-also a British businessman -and his son, Suleman Dawood, 19
Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a 77-year-old French explorer nicknamed "Mr Titanic"Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a 77-year-old French explorer nicknamed "Mr Titanic"
Stockton Rush, 61, is the chief executive of OceanGate, the firm behind the diveStockton Rush, 61, is the chief executive of OceanGate, the firm behind the dive
You can read more about them all here.You can read more about them all here.
How much does a dive cost?
OceanGate Expeditions charges guests $250,000 (£195,270) for a place on its eight-day expedition to see the wreck of the Titanic.
The site is about 600km (370 miles) off the coast of Canada's Newfoundland, and lies in two parts, with the bow and the stern separated by about 800m (2,600ft). A huge debris field surrounds the broken vessel.
A full dive to the wreck, including the descent and ascent, reportedly takes eight hours and each trip is meant to include a scientific objective, including studying the wreck's decay.
The inaugural dive took place in 2021, according to the company's website.
Is it really operated by a video game controller?
Watch: In 2022, the BBC filmed inside the Titanic sub with the company's boss Stockton Rush
Watch: In 2022, the BBC filmed inside the Titanic sub with the company's boss Stockton Rush
The Titan is extremely small and narrow, measuring just 670 cm x 280 cm x 250 cm (22ft x 9.2ft x 8.3ft) and can carry a crew of just five people - a pilot and four passengers, who have to sit on the floor and have limited room to move around.
Aside from taking divers to the wreck of the Titanic, it's used for site survey and inspection, research and data collection, film and media production, and deep sea testing of hardware and software.
According to the company, the Titan is "outfitted with state-of-the-art lighting and sonar navigation systems plus internally and externally mounted 4K video and photographic equipment".
The BBC's US partner CBS sent one of its reporters on a voyage with the same company last year to see the wreck of the Titanic.
Stockton Rush then gave him a tour of the submersible, where he revealed the vessel only has one button and is run using a video game controller.
It is not unusual for off-the-shelf game controllers to be used in real-life vehicles. However, the Washington Post reports that the one seen in the CBS report appeared to be an old model.
When did it go missing?When did it go missing?
The Polar Prince first arrived near the Titanic wreck on Sunday morning and the Titan was launched at 08:00 local time - it was expected to resurface at 15:00. Contact was lost one hour and 45 minutes into its descent, at about 09:45.The Polar Prince first arrived near the Titanic wreck on Sunday morning and the Titan was launched at 08:00 local time - it was expected to resurface at 15:00. Contact was lost one hour and 45 minutes into its descent, at about 09:45.
The Coast Guard said they were notified of the problem at about 17:45 - eight hours later. The agency's command centre in Boston then began coordinating search efforts.The Coast Guard said they were notified of the problem at about 17:45 - eight hours later. The agency's command centre in Boston then began coordinating search efforts.
The Titanic wreck site is approximately 600km (370 miles) off the coast of Newfoundland.The Titanic wreck site is approximately 600km (370 miles) off the coast of Newfoundland.
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Related TopicsRelated Topics
Titanic submersible disappearanceTitanic submersible disappearance
RMS TitanicRMS Titanic
Sinking of the TitanicSinking of the Titanic
United StatesUnited States
CanadaCanada