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Mangled debris from the Titan submarine, which collapsed earlier this month on a dive to the Titanic wreck in the north Atlantic Ocean, was retrieved to the surface on Wednesday.
Following its rescue earlier in the day, large chunks of what appears to be the Titan’s hull were carried ashore in Newfoundland, Canada on Wednesday, along with landing skids used to touch the vessel down on the ocean floor. The rear cover of the submersible was also discovered amid the debris, according to the US Coast Guard.
It is believed that the wreckage will aid in determining the origin of the critical error that resulted in the sub’s implosion, which occurred approximately an hour and forty-five minutes after it began its dive to the Titanic site on June 18. The event killed all five individuals on board, including the vessel’s designer, Stockton Rush.
What began as a search-and-rescue mission has evolved into a recovery operation coordinated by Pelagic Research Services in the United States. It stated on Wednesday that its employees have been “working around the clock now for ten days, through the physical and mental challenges of this operation, and are anxious to finish the mission and return to their loved ones.”
Since the wreckage was discovered last week, various doubts have been raised concerning the experimental design of the submersible. It was built with two titanium end caps and a carbon-fiber cylinder in the middle, which drew criticism from some members of the deep-sea diving community.
‘Titanic’ director James Cameron, who has visited the 1912 wreckage site more than 30 times, was among those who criticised Rush’s design. The submersible’s two titanium end caps were discovered among the rubble on Wednesday. According to the BBC, the sub’s porthole was also recovered, albeit with its window missing.
The Titan, which was operated by the deep-sea exploration firm OceanGate, was unregulated. Rush previously downplayed safety concerns, stating in an email, “tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation.”
The US Coast Guard is conducting an investigation into Titan’s demise. It is hoped that the investigation will uncover the cause of the implosion and give recommendations to prevent similar catastrophes. According to the government, the Titan implosion was a “major marine casualty.”
