The Titan crew’s three-word final message has been revealed in the OceanGate tragedy hearing.
The public hearing into the ill-fated submersible expedition to the Titanic during which five men lost their lives is underway, revealing the last words of those on board were “all good here”.
According to a visual re-creation of the journey of the Titan before it imploded, the US Coast Guard presented the animation today on the first day of what is expected to be a two-week hearing.
It told how the crew aboard the sub – including three Brits – were communicating with support staff aboard the Polar Prince on the surface via text messages.
They lost contact after an exchange of repeated inquiries from those on the support vessel about the submersible’s depth and weight as it descended.
The Polar Prince then repeatedly asked if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display. One of the subs’ final responses, which became spotty as it descended, was “All good here.”
Coast Guard officials also gave a damming overview of the Titan’s history, during which they stated that the craft’s hull was never subject to third-party checks.
Officials also said the sub was left exposed to weather and elements while in storage for seven months in 2022 and 2023. The Titan imploded in June 2023, setting off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.
The aim of the hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is to “uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future,” the Coast Guard said in a statement earlier this month.
The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard’s commandant.
“There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident,” said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard Office of Investigations, who led the hearing.
“But we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again.”
Among those killed was Stockton Rush, co-founder of OceanGate, the Washington state company that owned the Titan. The company suspended operations after the implosion.
Witnesses scheduled to testify today include OceanGate’s former engineering director, Tony Nissen; the company’s former finance director, Bonnie Carl; and former contractor Tym Catterson.
Some key OceanGate staff are not scheduled to testify, including Rush’s widow, Wendy Rush, the company’s former communications director.
Melissa Leake, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard, said the service did not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations.
She added that it’s common for a Marine Board of Investigation to “hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases.”
The Titan became the subject of scrutiny in the undersea exploration community in part because of its unconventional design and its creator’s decision to forgo standard independent checks.
The implosion killed Rush, veteran Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, father and son British-Pakistani Shahzada Dawood, his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood; and British adventurer Hamish Harding.
The Titan made its final dive on June 18, 2023, losing contact with its support vessel about two hours later. When it was reported overdue, rescue ships rushed to an area about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention, as it became increasingly unlikely that anyone could have survived the implosion.
Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said. The Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021.
