Confirmation crew has ‘sadly been lost’ after ‘catastrophic implosion’

OceanGate, the company behind the ill-fated expedition, released a statement on Friday morning confirming its CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet had “sadly been lost”.

Authorities have confirmed they have found a “debris field” near the Titanic, which makes it likely the Titan submersible suffered a “catastrophic implosion”, killing all five people on-board.

Follow our live coverage as remote operating vehicles (ROVs) on the sea floor near the Titanic remain on the scene.

8.15am – Director James Cameron says company was ‘repeatedly warned’

Renowned filmmaker James Cameron, director of the iconic movie “Titanic,” has expressed his surreal sense of shock over the similarities between the 1912 Titanic sinking and the recent loss of the five-member crew during a visit to the wreck site.

In an interview with ABC News, Cameron shared his astonishment at the tragic event.

“I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night, and many people died as a result,” Cameron stated.

“For a very similar tragedy where warnings went unheeded to take place at the same exact site with all the diving that’s going around all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing, it’s really quite surreal.”

Cameron, who is also a deep submergence engineer and has designed his own submersibles, revealed that concerns were raised by members of the deep diving community regarding OceanGate’s operation prior to the incident.

He mentioned that top players in the field of deep submergence engineering had written letters to the company, expressing their apprehension about the experimental nature of the submersible and the need for proper certification.

“Many people in the community were very concerned about this sub, and a number of the top players in the deep submergence engineering community even wrote letters to the company saying that what they were doing was too experimental to carry passengers and that it needed to be certified,” Cameron explained.

6.35am – High-tech rescue vehicle ‘blocked by US officials’

A British-based firm claims it had been prevented from joining a critical rescue mission in the Atlantic Sea, potentially jeopardising the lives of five trapped individuals.

According to The Telegraph, Magellan Limited, a team of deepwater specialists, has been grounded at an airport in the Channel Islands since Monday evening, awaiting clearance that has yet to materialise.

While Magellan had reportedly received approval from the UK Ministry of Defence to leave UK airspace, the United States government had allegedly withheld authorisation for their departure.

Sources claim that US officials favoured using their own vessel based in New York, which has a maximum diving capacity of 3000m, compared to Magellan’s vehicle, capable of reaching depths of up to 5000m.

5am – US Coast Guard says ‘bodies may not be recovered’

Debris discovered on the ocean floor suggests the missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic suffered a “catastrophic loss” of pressure, the US Coast Guard said.

Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard held a press conference where he confirmed an ROV from the vessel Horizon Artic found the tail cone of the Titan sub about 500m from the bow of the Titanic wreck.

5am – ‘Catastrophic’ cause of tragic sub deaths

Additional debris consistent with a “catastrophic loss” of the pressure chamber has been discovered, authorities say.

“The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber,” the Rear Admiral told reporters in Boston.

“Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.”

He could not confirm whether the bodies of the crew would be recovered — “this is an incredibly unforgiving environment” — and said it was too early to say exactly when the implosion happened.

But the Rear Admiral confirmed sounds picked up from the sea floor weren’t from the sub.

“There doesn’t appear to be any connection between the noises and the location on the sea floor,” he said.

4.45am – Confirmation crew has ‘sadly been lost’

OceanGate, the expedition company behind the voyage, released a statement early this morning (AEST).

It expressed its condolences while thanking all involved in the search efforts.

“We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost,” it read.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.”

“This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organisations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.

“We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families.

“We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time.”

4.30am – First reports link debris to Titan

CNN has backed a claim by a friend of the Titan crew debris discovered overnight Thursday (AEST) is from the missing sub.

According to a memo reviewed by the American news channel, the debris is from the external body of the sub and was found 500m from the bow of the Titanic.

3.30am – Friend claims ‘no chance’ of crew being found alive

An expert with a “direct connection” to the ships searching for the Titan claims he’s been told debris discovered at the site is from the missing sub.

David Mearns, who says he’s part of a group called The Explorers Club which has a line to the rescue effort, told Sky News “a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible” has been located.

“Again this is an unconventional submarine, that rear cover is the pointy end of it and the landing frame is the little frame that it seems to sit on,” Mr Mearns said.

He said this confirms that it is the submersible.

“It means the hull hasn’t yet been found but two very important parts of the whole system have been discovered and that would not be found unless its fragmented,” he added.

Mearns, who specialises in deep water search and recovery operations, said the development indicated a “catastrophic failure,” probably “an implosion”.

“They don’t use phrases like ‘debris field’ unless there’s no chance of a recovery of the men alive. A debris field implies a breakup of the submersible,” he told Sky News.

“The only saving grace about that is that it would have been immediate, literally in milliseconds, and the men would have had no idea what was happening,” added Mearns, who was friends with two of those on-board.

2am – Debris found in search for missing sub

A “debris field” has been discovered by an underwater robot searching near the wreck of the Titanic for a missing submersible, rescuers said, raising fears the five on board are no longer alive.

The development came after organisers of the multinational response insisted the mission to locate the craft was still focused on saving the crew and passengers — despite concerns that, even if the vessel is still intact, its oxygen may have run out.

The US Coast Guard has not confirmed whether the debris belonged to the small tourist sub, lost somewhere in a vast swathe of the North Atlantic between the ocean’s surface and more than 3.8km below.

“Experts within the unified command are evaluating the information,” the Coast Guard said in a tweet, adding that it would hold a press briefing at 5am AEST in Boston.

Pelagic Research Services confirmed its remotely operated vehicle — the first ROV to take part in the search for the missing Titan submersible — found the debris field.

It comes after oxygen levels on board the missing sub reached zero last night as hopes of finding the crew alive dimmed.

According to estimates, oxygen ran out on Titan at 9.08pm (AEST), 96 hours after it launched into the Atlantic.

British billionaire Hamish Harding, 55, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman, 19, paid $US250,0000 each to explore the Titanic shipwreck on board Titan.

They were accompanied by OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, and Titan’s pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77.

Titan lost communication shortly after being launched into the North Atlantic and it is somewhere in the vicinity of the famous shipwreck which is located 640km off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, 3800m below the waves.

Two underwater robots are now combing the sea bed to look for Titan near the wreck of the Titanic.

It comes as experts say the crew could prolong oxygen beyond 96 hours.

1am – Enormous search continues as robots deployed

Despite fears oxygen on Titan may have run out, the search and rescue operation continues.

French ship L’Atalante deployed its underwater robot Victor 6000 at around 9.30pm (AEST) which has arms that can cut cables or perform other manoeuvres to release a stuck vessel.

Crane ship Horizon Atlantic also deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) at about 9pm (AEST) which is combing the sea bed.

The Coast Guard said this ROV has found a “debris field” near the wreckage of the Titanic.

The ROVs are being joined by a US Navy CURV21 which can salvage wreckage and craft up to 6100m down — and last year pulled off a world record recovery of a Seahawk helicopter at a depth of 5814m off Japan.

“If anything can bring them up, it’s this kit,” former UK Royal Navy Rear Admiral Chris Parry said on Wednesday.

Two of the trapped men’s wives were on ships at the surface monitoring the operation.

11pm – What we know about how Titan went missing

The submersible launched from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince at 8am local time on Sunday and was expected to resurface at 3pm that afternoon. But communication was lost with the Titan just one hour 45 minutes into its descent.

At 5.40pm on Sunday, the US Coast Guard received a report of the “overdue” vessel, sparking a frantic and complex rescue mission.

Company officials had been criticised for waiting eight hours after they lost communication with the Titan to alert authorities.

One of OceanGate’s previous Titanic expeditions had also gotten lost for several hours, because there is no GPS underwater, according to CBS News correspondent David Pogue, who was along for the harrowing ride.

The sub’s disappearance and desperate search sparked international headlines and multiple theories as to its fate, as well as scrutiny on the safety record of OceanGate and past statements of Mr Rush.

Experts had previously suggested the submersible may have suffered a “catastrophic failure”, immediately crushing all five men under the pressure of the water above.

“The worst case scenario is that it has suffered a catastrophic failure to its pressure housing,” wrote University of Sydney professor of marine robotics Stefan Williams.

“Although the Titan’s composite hull is built to withstand intense deep-sea pressures, any defect in its shape or build could compromise its integrity — in which case there’s a risk of implosion.”

John Mixson, a retired US Coast Guard lieutenant commander who was involved in long-range search and rescue missions, also feared the worst.

“It’s hard to say whenever you just lose total communications in a situation like that what actually happened until you find the vessel,” he told Fox News. “This isn’t a common occurrence at all. Obviously, something very rapid and very tragic took place. I would say it is extremely serious. It’s a dire situation.”

Assuming the sub was still intact, other scenarios facing rescuers were that it was floating somewhere on the surface, somewhere underwater, or stuck in the 111-year-old wreckage of The Titanic.

“In a best-case scenario, the Titan may have lost power and will have an in-built safety system that will help it return to the surface,” Prof Williams wrote.

“Alternatively, the vessel may have lost power and ended up at the bottom of the ocean. This would be a more problematic outcome.”

10pm – Investigation into underwater noises

US Coast Guard captain Jamie Frederick on Wednesday confirmed “underwater noises” had been heard which were being analysed by sonar experts to establish if they came from the missing craft.

However head of the search operation Rear Admiral John Mauger told Sky News that noises previously thought to be “banging” were actually “background ocean noise” but this was still being examined.

“The initial reports is that there’s a lot of the sounds that were generated were from background ocean noise, but they continue to … look for all available information there,” he said.

9pm – Who are the five victims?

Mr Harding, a British businessman, aviator and space tourist known for his incredible adventures, sent his friend a chilling last text message a day before the expedition.

“Hey, we’re headed out tomorrow, it looks good, the weather’s been bad so they’ve been waiting for this,” he wrote.

Mr Dawood is one of Pakistan’s richest men. He has strong links to the UK, having studied law and the University of Buckingham and owning a mansion in Surrey where Shahzada lives with Suleman, his wife Christine, and daughter Alina.

“We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety,” the family said in a statement.

Mr Nargeolet is a veteran submarine pilot and longtime researcher of the wreck of the Titanic.

He had previously spoken about the extreme dangers of deep sea travel.

“If you are 11m or 11km down, if something bad happens, the result is the same,” he said in a resurfaced interview. “When you’re in very deep water, you’re dead before you realise that something is happening, so it’s just not a problem.”

OceanGate, one of the few companies in the world that runs commercial voyages to see The Titanic, was founded by Mr Rush in 2009.

The Everett, Washington-based company had made two previous trips to the 1912 wreckage of the “unsinkable” ship.

— with The Sun and NY Post, frank.chung@news.com.au