Video of Titan sub implosion wreckage as new Netflix documentary is announced
Topics: Netflix, Titanic, Titan submersible, US News, Film and TV, Documentaries, Nature, Crime
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Featured Image Credit: OceanGate/Becky Kagan Schott
Topics: Netflix, Titanic, Titan submersible, US News, Film and TV, Documentaries, Nature, Crime
Video footage of the imploded Titan sub that now sits within meters of the Titanic shipwreck has been revealed as Netflix announces a new documentary about the tragedy.
In June 2023, OceanGate's Titan submersible dominated headlines after the once-in-a-lifetime voyage to the darkest depths of the Atlantic Ocean turned to disaster.
The 21-foot sub and its five explorers onboard were planning on visiting the Titanic wreckage, some 12,500 feet below surface, off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
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However, just one hour and 45 minutes into its descent and the US coastguard lost all contact with the crew and passengers.
A hefty search mission was then launched and four days later, debris of the submersible was found just 500 meters from the bow of the Titanic.
The authorities confirmed the Titan was destroyed by a 'catastrophic implosion' due to intense water pressure and failed materials, which instantly killed all of its passengers.
This included OceanGate's CEO, Stockton Rush, 61, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, a deep-sea explorer from France, Hamish Harding, 58, a British businessman, Shahzada Dawood, 48, a Pakistani-British businessman and his 19-year-old son, Suleman.
On September 16 2024, the US Coast Guard commenced a two-week-long hearing to investigate the incident and to identify if anyone was to blame.
The investigation uncovered several industry experts questioned the safety of the sub, including a former OceanGate employee who was fired before the vessel set sail.
The hearing also revealed some never-before-seen footage of the Titan wreckage as well as the crew's harrowing final messages.
Despite imploding, the footage shows parts of the vessel lingers around the ocean floor, eerily close to the Titanic shipwreck the travellers were so keen to see.
Search teams have also brought up fragments of the submersible since the incident.
Now, Netflix has announced a new film, Titan, is coming to the streaming platform this summer.
The synopsis of the documentary reads: "This new documentary examines OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, his quest to become the next billionaire innovator, and the doomed underwater endeavor that forced the world to reconsider the price of ambition in the depths of the ocean."
The documentary comes after the US Coastguard closed its public hearing after listening to the testimonies of former employees and executives of the company and other industry experts.
David Lochridge, the former marine operations director of the company, said he raised concerns to bosses several times but that he was 'dismissed every single occasion' up until he was sacked in 2018.
He reportedly told the panel he 'knew that hull would fail' and that 'a lot of steps along the way were missed'.
Lochridge added: "The whole idea behind the company was to make money."
Another former engineering executive, Tony Nissen, said he raised similar concerns over the Titan's hull as it had potentially become compromised by a lightning strike on a test run in 2018.
Nissen said he was also fired after he refused to approve another expedition.
The Coastguard also heard the sub was 'unregistered' after its build in 2020 and had been left exposed to the elements while sitting in storage for more than half a year.
Meanwhile, the chilling last message the Titan sent to its support ship read: "All good here."
In August, Nargeolet's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, accusing OceanGate of gross negligence and seeking more than $50 million in damages.
The Titanic expert had visited the wreckage before but the lawsuit claims he would not have participated in the expedition had he known about the apparently weak durability of the Titan.