"We were told it imploded"— Internet reacts as the first photo of OceanGate submersible wreckage is released

In June 2023, OceanGate's Titan submersible imploded in the North Atlantic Ocean, killing all five members of the crew. Over 15 months later, on September 16, 2024, the first image of the vessel’s wreckage was released by the United States Coast Guard following a public hearing into the deaths of the passengers onboard.

The recently released photo offered a glimpse into the Titan submersible’s broken tail cone lying on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of around 3775.6 meters. Fragments of the imploded vessel were also seen in the picture, seemingly taken by the rescue and recovery crew during their investigation into the missing submersible.

In the wake of the now-viral image of Titan wreckage, the internet is having varied reactions. For instance, X user @yacousinvinnie commented on Pop Base’s post sharing the photo and made a mocking remark.

“We were told it imploded but it looks pretty intact to me,” the user wrote.

Several others joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on the platform.

“This doesn’t make any sense, I thought it exploded into 1 million little pieces,” a person wrote.

“What do you mean? I thought there were no remains?” one person asked.

“So, the implosion was a lie?” asked another.

Others expressed their views on the deaths of the five people onboard, while some wondered whether they were alive.

“So, they actually suffered a horrible death instead of an instant one eh,” a netizen wrote.

“Are they still alive?” another netizen wrote.

Meanwhile, others argued about the state of the Titan vessel’s wreckage.

“I thought it was gonna look way worse,” one user wrote.

“I believe that's the tail cone section which wasn't pressurized. Everything inside the pressure hull was pretty much obliterated by the implosion,” wrote another.

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Exploring the recent hearing about OceanGate's Titan submersible implosion

U.S. Coast Guard Search Efforts In 2023 For The Missing Submarine Near Titanic (Image via Getty)

On Monday, September 16, the US Coast Guard officials held a public hearing into the Titan submersible implosion that occurred last year and killed all five onboard.

During the hearing, the Marine Board of Investigation revealed that the OceanGate vessel’s “detached tail cone” and the images of accompanying debris were “conclusive evidence” that it underwent a “catastrophic implosion.” They also recovered DNA evidence, which matched the five people onboard.

The investigation further revealed text messages sent by the crew members to the mother ship MV Polar Prince. The latter enquired whether Titan submersible was able to see its communication on its “informational display.” In response, the underwater vessel returned the message, “All good here.”

However, moments later, both lost contact. Before the same, the OceanGate submersible texted “dropped two wts,” referring to the fact that it “lost two measures of weight” and was descending smoothly towards its destination.

Many involved with the submersible’s construction testified during Monday’s hearing. For instance, former OceanGate contractor Tym Catterson revealed how he was uncomfortable being onboard the Titan because he had doubts about its carbon fiber and titanium-based exterior.

“I don’t believe that the composites are the correct material for a pressure vessel that’s experiencing external compression,” he noted.

Catterson further testified about how he communicated his concerns to several high-level OceanGate employees; however, they dismissed him. He also shared that he believed the crew died “instantly” as the vessel imploded.

“This had to have happened extraordinarily fast, which means the people in there, they had no idea this was coming,” Tym added.

Likewise, the company’s ex-engineering director, Tony Nissen, said during the hearing that he “100 percent” felt pressured to get the vessel into the water, as per the New York Post. Another former employee, Bonnie Carl, also said that OceanGate’s “attitude toward safety” made it “abundantly clear” that she had to quit. In contrast, OceanGate’s attorney Jane Shvets said at the hearing,

“There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident, but we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again.”

Meanwhile, Marine Board of Investigation chairman Jason Neubauer mentioned that the hearing scheduled to continue for the next two weeks would “uncover the facts” surrounding Titan’s deadly implosion and shed light on “potential misconduct or negligence” by those involved.

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OceanGate built the Titan submersible and later conducted an underwater expedition to the site of the Titanic wreckage, which sank with over 1500 passengers in 1912. On June 18, 2023, the vessel set off on its mission in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

However, an hour and 45 minutes into its dive, it lost all contact with its mothership. Four days after search and rescue operations by private and governmental organizations, including the US Coast Guard, a remotely-operated underwater vehicle (ROV) found debris from Titan approximately 500 meters from the site of the Titanic wreckage.

Later, the investigation revealed that the vessel’s pressure hull imploded, killing all the members on board, including OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British explorer Hamish Harding, and Pakistani father-son duo, businessman Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood.