NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – For the final day of a top-level Coast Guard investigation into why an experimental submersible catastrophically failed diving to the Titanic wreck site, witnesses have dived into the search and rescue operations that began when the Titan sub lost contact with its support vessel the Polar Prince.
On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible stopped responding to its mother ship, the Polar Prince, after it set sail from St. Johns in Newfoundland, Canada, to explore the Titanic’s remains.
On June 22, Odysseus, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), found Titan debris, and the Coast Guard confirmed that the sub’s carbon fiber hull suffered catastrophic failure.
Coast Guard Sector Boston Commander Captain Jamie Frederick said the sector command received a call on June 18 at 5:40 p.m. EST reporting an overdue submersible at the sight of the Titanic. This put the responders in the distress phase.
Professional watchstanders immediately went through checklists, one for subsurface search and rescue and one for an overdue vessel, according to Capt. Frederick, the search was multidimensional for several reasons.