How theTitanBroke Apart (and What Was Left) After Deadly Implosion, According to New Photos

Mar. 15, 2025

New photos releasedduring an ongoing Coast Guard hearingonthe deadlyTitanimplosionshow an extensive debris field of the wreckage and depict some of where the submersible broke apart during a doomed dive to see theTitanic.

The images, released with testimony from Don Kramer, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) engineer, depict theTitanwreckage after it was discovered on the ocean floor in June 2023.

While part of the vessel is believed to have instantly imploded, killing the five people aboard, officials have said, the new photos — along withimages and video released earlier in the hearing— confirm that enough of the craft remained for authorities to find.

TheTitan’s aft dome, aft segment, top rails, side rails and the aft portion of its composite hull were located together, Kramer said in his testimony on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

“Much of the forward hull had fragmented into multiple pieces spread around the ocean floor,” he said. “One segment of the hull near the top of the vessel was intact nearly along its entire length and also stayed with the main wreckage.”

Debris from the Titan submersible.NTSB

NTSB

According to another image, a single-layer piece — which was recovered and examined at an NTSB laboratory — was located about 350 feet from the main wreckage and had a piece of lead wedged in a crevice.

A separate photo shows a different view of the main wreckage, with two notable pieces visible: debris that extended nearly the length of the hull and another piece from the port side.

Kramer, who was unable to offer his own commentary due to the NTSB’s ongoing investigation, said that the pieces showed separation “within the hull’s adhesive, primarily through the carbon fiber composite.”

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“The hull encountered a significant amount of delamination [or breaking apart],” Kramer said in his testimony.

TheTitan’s engineering and its componentshave been an ongoing theme — and point of contention — during the two-week-long hearing.

Some experts and former employees have said thatTitandesigner and operator OceanGate, which has ceased operations and is cooperating with the Coast Guard, did not conform to industry norms.

The new debris photos are part of the latest imagery from the aftermath of the disaster last year. TheTitanlost contact with the surface on June 18, 2023, more than an hour into its dive. Its wreckage was found four days later.

“Presumed human remains” were also located and “respectfully transported to shore” as part of the recovery work, the Coast Guard said at the hearing.

Officials have said in their presentation at the hearing that the ROV found the aft tail cone and additional debris during a search on June 22, 2023.

The five people aboard the submersible who died in the implosion were explorerPaul-Henri Nargeolet; adventurerHamish Harding; father and sonShahzada and Suleman Dawood; andStockton Rush, who co-founded OceanGate.

source: people.com