NEW: Coast Guard Releases Audio Of Titan Sub Explosion

Nearly two years after the OceanGate Titan submersible tragically imploded during a deep-sea expedition to the Titanic wreck site, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released an eerie audio recording capturing the vessel’s final moments.

The newly surfaced recording, picked up by an underwater acoustic monitoring station located roughly 900 miles away, contains what experts believe to be the distinct sound signature of the submersible collapsing under immense pressure. The Titan, which lost communication with its surface ship in June 2023, suffered a catastrophic implosion that instantly killed all five people on board.

The NOAA recording, now available to the public, reveals a sudden, thunderous roar before the sound fades into complete silence. Analysts say this abrupt burst of noise is consistent with an implosion caused by immense water pressure at extreme depths.

The Titan was on a highly publicized mission to explore the Titanic wreckage, located about 12,500 feet below the surface of the North Atlantic. The vessel, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, carried five passengers, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his teenage son, Suleman.

LISTEN:

When the sub lost contact with its mothership, a massive international search-and-rescue operation ensued. After days of uncertainty, debris from the Titan was discovered on the ocean floor, confirming the vessel had suffered a fatal structural failure.

Experts believe the sub’s carbon fiber and titanium structure failed under the immense weight of the ocean at those depths, collapsing the vessel in milliseconds. The vessel, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, lost contact with its support ship Polar Prince about one hour and 45 minutes into the dive.

St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada- OceanGate-May 29, 2023: Polar Prince towing OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessels on a barge as it leaves for the Titanic wreck site to tour below the ocean.

A massive search-and-rescue operation was launched, involving the U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian authorities, and deep-sea specialists, as concerns grew over the sub’s 96-hour oxygen supply. However, on June 22, debris from the Titan was discovered approximately 1,600 feet from the Titanic’s bow, confirming that the sub had imploded.

Later analysis suggested the implosion likely occurred shortly after communication was lost, meaning the passengers were unaware of the disaster before it happened. OceanGate and its CEO, Stockton Rush, faced scrutiny for ignoring safety warnings about the sub’s carbon fiber hull, raising questions about deep-sea tourism and experimental designs.

At such depths, the pressure is roughly 5,500 pounds per square inch—about 380 times the atmospheric pressure at sea level. Any breach in the Titan’s hull would have resulted in an instant implosion, leaving no chance of survival.

St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada- OceanGate-May 29, 2023: Polar Prince towing OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessels on a barge as it leaves for the Titanic wreck site to tour below the ocean.

The tragedy sparked significant controversy over the safety of OceanGate’s operations. Experts had long warned that the sub’s unconventional design, particularly its carbon fiber construction, lacked the proven reliability of traditional deep-sea submersibles.

Stockton Rush, who was piloting the Titan at the time of the disaster, had previously dismissed safety concerns, emphasizing innovation over regulatory oversight. OceanGate had also operated outside of typical certification processes, which further fueled scrutiny after the implosion.