Titanic sub: Key developments since crew's remains were found last week

The Titan submersible used to visit the shipwreck of the Titanic was an "accident waiting to happen", a former employee warned five years ago.

Five people were killed last month when the submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, imploded off the coast of Canada.

The five men who died were British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son, Suleman, 19; British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, 58; French deep sea diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, 61.

Yahoo News UK rounds up the key developments we have learned about the doomed submersible in the past few days...

'Accident waiting to happen'

David Lochridge, OceanGate's former director of marine operations, was sacked after he raised concerns about the safety of the submersible.

The New Yorker reported that, in an email in January 2018 to deep sea exploration specialist Rob McCallum, Lochridge wrote: “I would consider myself pretty ballsy when it comes to doing things that are dangerous, but that sub is an accident waiting to happen.

"There’s no way on Earth you could have paid me to dive the thing.”

Referring to Rush, Lochridge wrote: “I don’t want to be seen as a tattle tale but I’m so worried he kills himself and others in the quest to boost his ego.”

CEO 'dismissed a loud bang'

It has also emerged that Rush once dismissed a loud bang heard from the Titan submersible.

During a speech to OceanGate staff and passengers for a segment filmed for the BBC's Travel Show last year, Rush said: "It's an open book here.

"We want everyone going into this fully informed. This is an experimental sub. This is a dangerous environment."

He then told a story about a crew member hearing a bang while the submersible was on the surface, but Rush said: "Not a soothing sound, but on the surface."

He added: "Almost every deep-diving sub makes a noise at some point."

Subway branch criticised

A Subway branch in the US has been criticised for making a joke about the fatal accident.

A billboard outside a branch in Georgia said: "Our subs don't implode."

A spokesperson told US media: "We have been in contact with the franchise about this matter and made it clear that this kind of comment has no place in our business."

The final moments

Those on board spent their final moments in darkness listening to music, the wife of one of the passengers has said.

Christine Dawood, whose husband and son died in the expedition, described the hours leading up to the fateful voyage in an interview with the New York Times that was published on Sunday.

She said her husband and son were instructed to wear thick socks and hats to keep warm in the submersible.

She said passengers were told to load up their favourite music onto their phones to play through a Bluetooth speaker in the submersible, although Rush had banned country music.

They were warned the descent would be in total darkness to save the submersible's battery power and headlights for when they reached the site of the Titanic shipwreck.

Dawood said passengers were told they would pass bioluminescent creatures.

She was on board support ship the Polar Prince with daughter Alina, 17, when contact was lost with the submersible about one hour and 45 minutes into the dive.

Read more: Grandfather pays tribute to 'amazing father and son' who died on Titanic submersible

She said her husband was "like a vibrating toddler" because he was so excited about the trip.

After a presentation in the run-up to their submersible trip made by Nargeolet, Dawood said her husband turned to her and said: "Oh, my God, this is so cool."

Oceangate Expeditions advertising trips

In the wake of news that the Titan had suffered a catastrophic implosion underwater, OceanGate Expeditions' website appeared to have been taken down.

But it was subsequently made live, and as of 3 July information on expeditions to the Titanic included two 2024 dates - 12-20 June and 21-29 June.

The information on the eight-day expedition says: "Follow in Jacques Cousteau’s footsteps and become an underwater explorer — beginning with a dive to the wreck of the RMS Titanic. This is your chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary.

"Become one of the few to see the Titanic with your own eyes."

It says "intrepid travellers" will sail from the Atlantic coast of Canada for an 8-day expedition to dive on the wreck that lies 380 miles offshore and 3,800 meters below the surface.

Human remains found

Presumed human remains have been found within debris recovered following the implosion of the Titan.

In a statement, the US Coast Guard said US medical professionals will now formally analyse the remains.

Speaking after the evidence was recovered, the Marine Board of Investigation’s (MBI) chairman, Captain Jason Neubauer, said: “I am grateful for the coordinated international and inter-agency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths.

“The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy.

“There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again.”

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) previously said they are looking into the five deaths.

Wreckage pulled from ocean

Images from St John’s in Canada on Wednesday showed a crane unloading the Titan wreckage from the Horizon Arctic ship in the city’s harbour.

The US Coast Guard said the five major pieces of the sub have been found so far in a large debris field near the bow of the Titanic.

Pictures appeared to show the sub’s porthole with its window missing and titanium end caps from the vessel.

Large clumps of wires could be seen jutting out of the debris, which will now be studied to determine exactly what happened on board the doomed sub.

Read more: Titan submersible: What happens next? (PA, 4 min)

Pelagic Research Services – whose remote operating vehicle (ROV) discovered the debris fields – said on Wednesday its team is “still on mission”.

A statement read: “They have been working around the clock now for 10 days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation, and are anxious to finish the mission and return to their loved ones.”

Watch: Father and son who died on Titanic submersible were 'best friends'