Titanic submarine: Titan implosion under investigation by international authorities as teenage mother speaks out

An international group of authorities is investigating what may have caused the submersible Titan to implode while it was carrying five people to the Titanic wreck, and US Navy officials say they will issue a report aimed at to improve the safety of submersibles worldwide.

Investigators from the US, Canada, France and the UK are working closely together in the investigation into the June 18 accident, which occurred in a “ruthless and inaccessible region” of the North Atlantic, said US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger of First Coast Guard District.

Seabed salvage operations are underway and the accident site has been mapped, Coast Guard Chief Investigator Jason Neubauer said Sunday. He did not give a timetable for the investigation.

Mr. Neubauer said the final report would be submitted to the International Maritime Organization. “My primary goal is to prevent a similar event by making the necessary recommendations to improve the security of the maritime sector worldwide,” he said.

Evidence is being collected at the port of St. John’s, Newfoundland, in coordination with Canadian authorities.

A 20-year-old man who luckily escaped the doomed Titanic submarine disaster has revealed how he turned down his father’s offer for a “bucket list” trip over fears the ship was not sure.

Sean Bloom, 20, told People that he and his father Jay Bloom, a financier, nearly signed up for OceanGate Expeditions’ tourist trip to visit the Titanic wreck.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has more:

A 20-year-old man who luckily escaped the doomed Titanic submarine disaster has revealed how he turned down his father’s offer for a “bucket list” trip over fears the ship was not sure.

Sean Bloom, 20, told People that he and his father Jay Bloom, a financier, nearly signed up for OceanGate Expeditions’ tourist trip to visit the Titanic wreck.

However, Mr Bloom said he ultimately refused to go because he was not confident the Titan submersible would withstand the pressure at a depth of around 13,000 feet in the Atlantic Ocean.

More details about the father and son killed in the Titan disaster have emerged as the teen’s mother reveals she was on board the support boat when the implosion happened.

Christine Dawood, mother of 19-year-old Suleman Dawood and wife of Shahzada Dawood, who were both on the doomed submersible, has revealed she gave up her seat on the trip so her son could ride along.

The IndependentLucy Skoulding reports:

Voice recordings and other data are being reviewed as part of a panel of experts set up by the US Coast Guard to investigate the catastrophic implosion of the submersible Titan last week.

US and Canadian naval authorities have announced investigations into the circumstances leading to the ship’s malfunction after its chambers were found in a sea of ​​debris 1,600 feet from the Titanic wreck.

US Coast Guard Captain Jason Neubauer, who is leading the investigation, said during a news conference Sunday that he had convened a Marine Board of Investigation, the Coast Guard’s highest investigative level. The panel’s job is to determine the cause of the tragedy in order to impose civil or criminal sanctions, if necessary.

Voice recordings between the Titan and her mothership Polar Prince are being reviewed by investigators. The crew of the mother ship is also interviewed by various agencies.

Coast Guard investigators have mapped the accident site and salvage operations are expected to continue, Cpt Jason Neubauer said. Once the investigation is complete – a timeline has not yet been set – a report will be released with evidence, conclusions and recommendations.

Services were held at the Titanic Museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri.

Both museums are owned by John Josyln, a team that explored the wreck of the Titanic as part of a famous television expedition in 1987.

As it turns out, investigators investigating the Titan submersible implosion are taking “every precaution” in case they find bodies on the seabed.

Capt. Jason Neubauer, who is leading the U.S. Coast Guard investigation into the ship’s implosion, commented at the time the response’s search and rescue efforts were coming to an end.

British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed aboard the submersible, along with the American executive of the company responsible for the ship, Stockton Rush, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Rescue work is continuing and investigators have mapped the scene of the accident, Cpt Neubauer said at a news conference in Boston.

He also said convening a Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of investigation by the US Coast Guard. It’s unclear how long it will last.

Christine Dawood was aboard a supply ship on Sunday when she learned communications had been lost with the submersible that was carrying her husband and son to view the wreck of the Titanic.

She didn’t initially understand what it meant that the Titan submersible lost contact with the ship after an hour and 45 minutes of its journey, Ms Dawood told the BBC on Monday.

It was four days before she knew the fate of her husband Shahzada Dawood and son Suleman Dawood when authorities announced on Thursday that the ship carrying five people had imploded and there were no survivors. “We all thought they were just going to show up,” she said.

“This shock was delayed by about ten hours. There was a time when they were supposed to be on the surface. As that time passed, the…worries and not-so-good feelings started.”

Christine Dawood says she and her 17-year-old daughter Alina were on the Polar Prince when the tragedy happened.

The Independent’Graeme Massie reports: