Map shows how close doomed Titan sub came to Titanic wreck before disaster
A new map from the US Coast Guard has shown just how close the doomed Titan submarine was from the Titanic when it imploded.
An expansive debris field was scattered across the ocean floor after the sub imploded on an expedition to see the famous shipwreck.
The submarine’s last known position was only 1,600 feet away from the Titanic’s bow, but some of the debris was found only 300m from the ship, officials said.
The remnants of the submarine were scattered debris stretched over an area of 322,917 square feet near the Titanic shipwreck.
The new map was released as the Coast Guard continue to conduct salvage missions to collect as much wreckage – and human remains – as possible.
Five people, including Mr Rush, were killed. British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood died alongside French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
OceanGate suspended all operations following the deaths, which led to questions about the submersible’s safety and design.
Earlier this month, David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former operations director, said he hoped OSHA had investigated the concerns he had about the sub before the disaster.
He said: ‘I believe that if OSHA had attempted to investigate the seriousness of the concerns I raised on multiple occasions, this tragedy may have been prevented.’
Multiple investigations are ongoing to determine what led to the tragedy, but the timeline for them keeps moving forward.
Rob McCallum, Eyos founding partner and expedition leader, said it is ‘clear’ that the Titan ‘imploded’, adding that it was due to ‘one or two faults’ of the ‘amateur’ vehicle.
There is still not a definitive answer as to what caused the ‘implosion’ in June 2023 – and Mr McCallum did not wish to speculate – but he did point to the built of the vessel.
He said: ‘We know know that Titan was made from carbon fibre, which is not an appropriate material – and has never been – to build deep water human occupied vehicles. With every dive, it gets weaker.
‘Carbon fibre is made up of thousands of fibre threads held together by resin or glue. Each time there is stress on the craft or release of pressure, it causes micro cracks to it. It gets weaker and weaker. That’s the big problem.
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