2023 Titan submersible implosion: Timeline of events and key things to know
On 18 June 2023, the Titan submersible – operated by US-based company OceanGate Expeditions – lost contact less than two hours into a deep-sea dive to the Titanic wreck site. On board were five people, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. Days later, debris from the vessel confirmed it had suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five occupants.
- The victims were:
Stockton Rush, OceanGate CEO and Titan pilot - Hamish Harding, British billionaire and explorer
- Paul-Henri Nargeolet, French Titanic expert
- Shahzada Dawood, Pakistani-British businessman
- Suleman Dawood, Rush's 19-year-old son
BOAT International's live blog on the OceanGate Titan implosion outlines the key events leading up to and following the Titan sub disaster, including when communication was lost, how the wreckage was found and details of the ongoing investigation.
Read More/Titan disaster: Unpacking the implosion and the aftermath on the submersible industryTitan disaster timeline:
Sunday 18 June 2023
08:00: The Titan submersible was launched from its mothership, Polar Prince (previously CCGS Sir Humphrey Gilbert). 09:45: Contact between the mothership and the submersible was lost. The U.S. Navy also noticed “an anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion”. 15:00: Titan was scheduled to resurface but did not. 17:40: The U.S. Coast Guard was notified.
Monday 19 June
The search for Titan began.
Tuesday 20 June
Speculation began surrounding sonar detecting “banging” noises in the search area. These are later determined to be natural ocean sounds.
Thursday 22 June
Debris and remains of the sub were found around 500 metres from the bow of the Titanic. Citing this, the Coast Guard announced that the submersible had suffered a “catastrophic implosion.”
Sunday 25 June
The Coast Guard arranged a Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) to determine what happened to the Titan.
Wednesday 28 June
The wreckage of the Titan submersible was found on the ocean floor, approximately 300 meters off the bow of the Titanic, and brought to St. John's, a city on Newfoundland island off Canada's Atlantic coast.
Sunday 2 July
OceanGate announced it is ceasing operations.