WATCH: Chilling footage shows Titan sub wreckage on ocean floor after deadly implosion
The United States Coast Guard has released the first video of the tail cone of the Titan submersible sitting at the bottom of the ocean amid a two-week hearing on the cause of the vessel's implosion that killed all five people on board in June 2023.
In a video shared by The Guardian, Titan's broken tail cone can be seen on the hazy blue floor of the North Atlantic Ocean. Fragments of the vessel are also nearby.
The video's release came a day after the US Coast Guard shared the first photo of Titan following the tragic implosion.
Titan is the vessel meant to explore the wreckage of the ill-fated cruise ship Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage from England to New York. Over 1,500 people out of 2,224 passengers and crew on board died. It was found in 1985 and has become a lure for nautical experts and underwater tourists.
Ongoing hearing
CNN International reported that investigators at the hearing said the wreckage was found several hundred yards from the location of the Titanic after days of searching.
The Marine Board of Investigation said a remotely operated vehicle located the tail cone and other debris on June 22 last year. The board said this provides “conclusive evidence” that the submersible experienced a catastrophic implosion.
Casualties include businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, British explorer Hamish Harding, French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush, chief executive officer of the sub's operator OceanGate Expeditions.
The hearing, which is expected to run until Sept. 27, includes “pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crew member duties and qualifications, mechanical and structural systems, emergency response and the submersible industry,” according to the US Coast Guard.
While the main goal is to “uncover the facts surrounding the incident,” board chair Jason Neubauer said the group is also tasked with identifying “misconduct or negligence by credential mariners.”
Titan was designed to allow tourists to visit the Titanic wreckage. It was meant to dive up to 4,000 meters.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said submersibles—unlike submarines—have limited power reserves and need a separate support vessel to launch and recover them.
Titan, roughly the size of a minivan, lost contact with its mother ship about an hour and a quarter into its descent to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean on the morning of June 18. It has about four days of emergency capability.
The sub's failure was confirmed on June 22, ending a days-long rescue mission that caught worldwide attention.
Some wreckage and suspected human remains were recovered later that month and in October.
