Fact Check: Was the Titanic submersible found empty? Viral claim debunked amid rising online speculation

On June 21, Wednesday, a Facebook user named Timothy Junior shared a news report by CNN claiming that Titan, the missing OceanGate submersible that went missing on Sunday was located, and it was empty. The headline read as follows: “Missing OceanGate Submarine Found Empty.”

Netizens who saw the report did not know whether to believe it or not, giving rise to online speculation, primarily on Facebook and later on Instagram. The Facebook post that started the conversation was later shared over 6000 times in less than a day.

However, this was a rumor. The submersible with five passengers onboard and which was on its way to the Titanic wreckage hasn’t been found yet. In fact, the user who first shared the post later claimed that he found it on Twitter, but warned that it “might be a hoax.”

Eventually, it was discovered that CNN did not publish any such report and what had gone viral was a fabricated article. In fact, a CNN spokesperson confirmed the same to other news portals such as Associated Press (AP) and USA Today via emails. They even said that the submersible was still missing when the fake story was published.

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The false CNN report about the Titanic submersible claimed Wendy Rush as their source

On Wednesday, social media users started sharing a false CNN report, stating that the Titanic submersible was not only traced but also had nobody inside. The report headlined “Missing OceanGate Submarine Found Empty” further claimed that it was Wendy Rush, the wife of the CEO and founder of OceanGate Stockton Rush who is among the five missing persons, was their source.

Wendy Rush was also wrongly identified as the co-founder of OceanGate when, in fact, she is not. However, she is indeed associated with the company in the role of communications director and a long-time board member of its charitable foundation, which can be verified from her LinkedIn account.

Mrs. Stockton Rush's LinkedIn profile states her true role in OceanGate. (Image via LinkedIn/Wendy Rush)

The news report was also accompanied by an image of an OceanGate submersible. While the byline was given to CNN News, the photo had an unusual red bar at its top that read “CATEGORY.”

CNN’s spokesperson, while debunking the viral claim, also explained how the news report matched neither CNN’s design nor its font. She further pointed out that the image was incorrect too as it displayed the Cyclops 1 Submersible instead of the lost Titan submersible.

A Facebook user shares facts about the missing submersible. (Image via Facebook/QwickkMoney Cuhh)

Interestingly, this is not the first time CNN has been a victim of fabricated news reports. Previously, images from their original broadcasts as well as headlines have been altered and posted in their name.

As it turns out, during the publication of the incorrect news report, the reality was that the search and rescue operations were ongoing and no traces of the Titanic submarine were found yet.

It was also feared that less than 24 hours of oxygen supply was onboard for the five passengers, thus reducing the chances of their survival with each passing moment.

Another Facebook user debunks the false report. (Image via Facebook/Tina Harvey)

The people trapped inside Titan are Stockton Rush as the pilot, French submersible pilot Paul-Henry Nargeolet as a content expert, and three other tourists, who each paid 250,000 dollars for the trip.

They were father-son duo Shahzada and Sulaiman Dawood from one of Pakistan’s infamous and wealthiest families, and British billionaire businessman and explorer Hamish Harding.

A netizen is unsure about CNN's false report claims. (Image via Facebook/Shon Murdock)

As of Wednesday, all the agencies involved in the search and rescue mission such as the US Coast Guard, Canadian Coast Guard, US and Canadian Navies, and OceanGate, among others, covered more than 8000 miles of open sea in the North Atlantic region near the Titanic wreckage site.

In fact, the US Coast Guard confirmed that they were “exponentially” expanding their search.

The missing submersible, Titan, lost contact with its mother ship Polar Prince (a Canadian vessel) within 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive. However, on both June 20 and 21, “banging” noises and “acoustic feedback” sounds were detected by the search parties near Titan’s last known location.