Titanic sub update: First photos show mangled Titan wreckage recovered from sea floor

PICTURED: First photos of Titan wreckage pulled from Atlantic Ocean

(AP)

(AP)

Rachel Sharp28 June 2023 15:51

Wife and mother of Titan victims shares heartbreak

More than a week after all five passengers on an expedition aboard the Titan sub were killed, their families continue to reel from the tragedy as international marine authorities have launched multi-agency probes to determine what caused the catastrophic implosion.

Speaking at a televised memorial on Tuesday, Christine Dawood, whose husband Shahzada Dawood and 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood were among the victims, said the expedition to the Titanic meant the world for father and son, who she described as true explorers who bonded over their love for adventure.

“These two best friends embarked upon this last voyage, their final journey together,” Ms Dawood told Sky News through tears. “These past few days have been incredibly challenging as a family ... Emotions from excitement to shock to hope and finally despair and grief.”

Andrea Blanco28 June 2023 15:30

WATCH: US Coast Guard convenes Marine Board of Investigation into loss of Titan Submersible

Andrea Blanco28 June 2023 15:00

Experts says he expects Titanic expeditions to be grounded 'for the remaining of his life time’

All planned expeditions to the Titanic wreck have been called off following the Titan submersible tragedy that killed five people, industry groups told New York Post.

The Explorers Club said it knows of no plans still in place for scientific exploratory trips to the Titanic’s wreck 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface. Commercial expeditions have also been reportedly grounded.

David Scott-Beddard, chief executive of White Star Memories Ltd, a UK Titanic artifact company, said he does not anticipate future expeditions to the famed wreck “in my lifetime,” either.

Andrea Blanco28 June 2023 14:30

Navy doctor reveals Titanic sub victims would have died instantly in ‘catastrophic implosion’

A former Navy doctor has revealed what would have happened to the five people on board the missing Titan submersible in its final moments even as officials announced the vessel imploded.

Dale Molé, a former director of the US Navy for undersea medicine and radiation health, said they would have died instantly and painlessly by the force under the depth of the sea.

“It would have been so sudden, that they wouldn’t even have known that there was a problem, or what happened to them,” he told the Daily Mail.

“It’s like being here one minute, and then the switch is turned off. You’re alive one millisecond, and the next millisecond you’re dead,” he said.

Authorities confirmed on Thursday, that everyone onboard the Titan is presumed dead after the vessel Titanic imploded.

Ariana Baio28 June 2023 14:00

Watch: Titan submersible's thrusters put on 'backwards' during terrifying 2022 trip

Ariana Baio28 June 2023 13:00

US Navy: Hefty salvage system not required in probe of fatal Titan implosion

The U.S. Navy said Sunday that it won’t be using a large piece of salvage equipment that it had deployed to the effort to retrieve the Titan submersible.

The Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System had the capability of lifting an intact Titan back to the surface. The U.S. Coast Guard announced on Thursday that debris from the submersible had been found roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic in North Atlantic waters.

“Efforts are focused on helping map the debris field in preparation for recovery efforts and to support investigative actions. Efforts to mobilize equipment such as the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System have been discontinued,” a Navy official told The Associated Press.

The Navy describes the Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System as a “portable, ship lift system designed to provide reliable deep ocean lifting capacity of up to 60,000 pounds for the recovery of large, bulky, and heavy sunken objects such as aircraft or small vessels.”

The Titan weighed 20,000 pounds (9,071 kilograms).

The Navy is continuing to support the U.S. Coast Guard as operations continue.

Ariana Baio28 June 2023 12:00

Friend of Hamish Harding’s wife describes push to involve remote-operated vehicle in search

A friend of the late British explorer Hamish Harding’s wife has described her efforts to get a remote-operated submarine from Guernsey involved in the search for the Titan after it disappeared near the wreck of the Titanic.

“When I heard it was Hamish my heart dropped to my stomach,” Tracy Ryan told People, adding: “I had been working behind the scenes for four days to get the Magellan sub there and get their permits approved because they did have the capabilities to dive all the way down to the site.

“And I actually brought a United States Congressman in to work with the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard trying to get them clearance.”

She added: “For two days he was on the phone with these guys trying to get the Magellan deployed ... And I had been, you know, messaging all this back and forth with Linda the whole time.”

"This was really more of an effort for me to try and help the family get answers faster,” Ms Ryan told the outlet. “Because the banging in the water that was happening every 30 minutes was giving them so much hope.”

Andy Gregory28 June 2023 11:02

An 1851 maritime law protected the Titanic’s owners in court. Could OceanGate use it too?

The owners of the Titanic sought to limit liability following the ship’s sinking by petitioning under 1851 legislation. The owners of the submersible lost on its dive to visit that famed ship’s wreckage may do the same thing,

Sheila Flynn reports:

Ariana Baio28 June 2023 11:00

Watch: Barack Obama slams hypocrisy over interest in Titanic sub compared to migrant boat tragedy

Ariana Baio28 June 2023 10:00