Wendy Rush, wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, was aboard the support vessel Polar Prince when the Titan submersible imploded during its 2023 dive to the Titanic wreck. Monitoring the mission closely, she heard a sudden, sharp pop over the communication system — a sound she later realised marked the instant the vessel catastrophically failed deep beneath the North Atlantic.
“What was that bang?” Wendy asked, still unaware that it was the exact moment the Titan imploded, killing all five people on board.
(Also read: OceanGate CEO, killed in Titan submersible dive, had claimed it was ‘safest thing ever’)
Final moments captured in newly released footage
The US Coast Guard has released footage, obtained by the BBC, revealing the submersible’s final communications. Wendy, also a director at OceanGate, was tracking the dive when the Titan suddenly went silent around 90 minutes into its descent. At nearly 11,000 feet underwater, the sub suffered a devastating implosion.
Those killed instantly included Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.
The BBC documentary Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster disclosed that Titan’s carbon fibre hull had shown signs of structural failure during a previous dive a year earlier.
“Delamination at dive 80 was the beginning of the end,” said US Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Katie Williams, according to the BBC. “And everyone who stepped onboard the Titan after dive 80 was risking their life.”
Despite these warnings from experts, OceanGate continued to operate the submersible. The ill-fated 2023 mission was the Titan’s 88th dive and its first deep-sea expedition of the year.
Confusing signals and underwater evidence
According to a report by the New York Post, adding to the tragic confusion, the support ship received a message from Titan shortly after the implosion, stating it had dropped two weights to surface. Wendy read the message aloud, still unaware of the disaster unfolding beneath the waves.
Meanwhile, underwater sensors recorded the implosion’s sound—a sharp blast followed by silence.
(Also read: Missing Titan submersible found without passengers? No, it’s fake news)
Aftermath and ongoing investigation
Following the tragedy, the Coast Guard recovered wreckage from the ocean floor, including parts of the Titan submersible, clothing, business cards, and Titanic-themed stickers.
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