New footage has unveiled the sound made by the Titan submersible at the moment it imploded in June 2023, offering a chilling insight into the tragic event. Released by the Marine Board of Investigation, which is the highest level of inquiry by the US Coast Guard, the footage captures crew member Wendy Rush, whose husband founded OceanGate, reacting to a faint sound reminiscent of a car door slamming as the sub descended to a depth of about 3,300 meters.
Rush inquires, “What was that bang?” as they were approximately 90 minutes into the dive to observe the Titanic wreckage. This bang is believed to indicate the moment of implosion. Following it, the sub sent a message indicating it had dropped two weights, which may have misled the crew aboard the support vessel into thinking everything was normal.
Chris Roman, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, explained that there may have been a delay in receiving the message due to signal processing, meaning it could have been sent right before the tragedy but only appeared on the crew’s screens afterward. Just six seconds after this communication, the support ship lost contact with the Titan.
In response to the sub’s failure to resurface, an extensive international search operation was launched. Unfortunately, the wreckage was discovered days later at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean, close to the Titanic’s remains. The incident claimed the lives of five individuals, including Rush, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, businessman Hamish Harding, and notable French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Following the implosion, the incident has sparked discussions regarding safety practices and the ethics of charging substantial sums—around $250,000 per person—to experience such a perilous venture. As investigations continue, two upcoming documentaries from the BBC and Netflix promise to further delve into the underlying causes of this heartbreaking disaster, shedding light on the balance between exploration and safety in such extreme environments.
This tragic event serves as a somber reminder of the inherent risks associated with deep-sea exploration and the necessity for rigorous safety standards in all adventures, especially those that involve human lives.