New audio reveals eerie sounds of Titan submersible implosion

New audio reveals eerie sounds of Titan submersible implosion

Newly released audio from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recorder has captured the eerie suspected sounds of the Titan submersible's implosion in 2023.

The passive acoustic recorder, positioned approximately 900 miles from the implosion site, recorded what appears to be static followed by a loud thunderous roar, as shared by the Department of Defense.

The audio was made available on defense websites on Friday.

What happened in the Titan submersible implosion?

The Titan, an OceanGate submersible carrying five people to the Titanic shipwreck site, tragically imploded in the ocean, resulting in the deaths of all aboard.

The incident sparked questions about whether the Titan's unconventional design and its creator’s refusal to undergo standard independent safety checks played a role in the disaster.

This led to a two-week US Coast Guard hearing to investigate the cause of the implosion, with family members of the victims in attendance.

Investigators revealed over 100 issues with the submersible dating back to 2019, including a cracked hull, a malfunctioning thruster during a deep dive, and a dome that detached.

Witnesses testified that the company prioritized profits over safety, accusing CEO Stockton Rush of ignoring safety concerns and silencing critics. Rush was among the five victims who perished in the implosion.

The Titan had been documenting the Titanic’s decay and the surrounding underwater ecosystem through annual expeditions since 2021. OceanGate, the company that designed and operated the submersible, sold tickets for these Titanic expeditions at $250,000 each.

The Titan’s final dive took place on June 18, 2023, after which it lost contact with its support vessel about two hours later. When it was reported missing that afternoon, search and rescue efforts quickly mobilized, deploying ships, planes, and other equipment to the area, approximately 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

On the same day that communications were lost between the Polar Prince and the Titan, the US Navy informed the Coast Guard of an anomaly in its acoustic data, which suggested an implosion or explosion had occurred.

By June 22, the Coast Guard confirmed that debris had been discovered on the ocean floor near the Titanic wreck. Authorities have since retrieved parts of the submersible, including its intact endcap, along with debris and what are believed to be human remains.

Despite the tragic implosion, deep-sea exploration remains on track. The company holding the salvage rights to the Titanic, based in Georgia, is planning a visit to the wreck in July 2024 using remotely operated vehicles. Additionally, an Ohio-based real estate mogul has announced plans for a 2026 expedition to the shipwreck in a two-person submersible.

Who were the victims?

The five individuals who lost their lives on the Titan included Stockton Rush, the co-founder of OceanGate, along with Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, both members of a prominent Pakistani family. Also onboard were British adventurer Hamish Harding and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Harding and Nargeolet were both members of The Explorers Club, a professional organization focused on research, exploration, and conservation of resources.