A newly released video by the Marine Board of Investigation has revealed remarkable footage of robotic arms meticulously sifting through the wreckage of the Titan submersible, which tragically imploded in 2023. Captured by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the video shows the ROV attaching ropes and equipment to what appears to be the end cap of the sub. At one point, a shark swims close to the wreck, adding to the eerie underwater scene.
The Titan submersible, owned by OceanGate, imploded during a deep-sea expedition in 2023, resulting in the deaths of five individuals: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood along with his son, Suleman. The newly released video is part of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard, which aims to uncover the factors that led to the fatal incident.
Robot arm salvages wreck of Titan sub in US Coast Guard footage
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The video’s release coincided with a public hearing on September 24, where Guillermo Sohnlein, a co-founder of OceanGate who left the company before the tragedy, expressed hope that this incident would not hinder future deep-sea exploration missions. “This can’t be the end of deep ocean exploration. This can’t be the end of deep-diving submersibles, and I don’t believe that it will be,” Sohnlein stated.
However, not all testimonies were in favor of the company. OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, David Lochridge, offered a damning assessment of the company’s practices. He claimed that OceanGate prioritized profit over safety, alleging that they aimed to “qualify a pilot in a day” and that the submersible was operated using a PlayStation controller. Lochridge further revealed that the Titan sub was the only vessel that wasn’t fully certified by safety authorities.
Lochridge also criticized Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s late CEO, accusing him of unprofessional behavior during the ill-fated mission. Lochridge noted that his relationship with the company soured in 2016 when he raised concerns about safety, which led to his departure. He described himself as the “troublemaker” for being outspoken on these issues.
While Sohnlein advocates for the continuation of deep-sea exploration, the testimony from Lochridge has raised serious questions about the safety protocols followed by OceanGate. The hearing aims to shed light on the failures that led to the catastrophic event, as investigators continue their efforts to piece together the final moments of the Titan submersible.
As the investigation unfolds, the release of this new footage underscores the complexity of the case, highlighting both the technical challenges of deep-sea exploration and the safety lapses that may have contributed to the 2023 tragedy. The testimonies presented at the hearing have sparked a debate on how future deep-sea missions should be conducted to prevent such disasters from occurring again.
