Coast Guard to hold formal hearings in North Charleston on Titan submersible implosion

by IAN KAYANJA | WCIV

Tue, July 30th 2024 at 8:01 PM

Updated Tue, July 30th 2024 at 8:13 PM

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)

ATLANTIC OCEAN - JUNE 21: In this U.S. Coast Guard handout, a Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina HC-130 Hercules airplane flies over the French research vessel, L'Atalante approximately 900 miles East of Cape Cod during the search for the 21-foot submersible, Titan, June 21, 2023 over the Atlantic Ocean. The unified command is searching for five people after the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince lost contact with their submersible during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic on June 18, 2023. (Photo by U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Images)

FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. Rescuers are racing against time to find the missing submersible carrying five people, who were reported overdue Sunday night. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

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This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)

TOPICS:

Marine Board of Investigation

Implosion

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The U.S. Coast Guard plans to get to the bottom of the Titan submersible implosion from over a year ago with formal hearings slated for mid-September in North Charleston.

The hearing is for the Marine Board of Investigation to consider evidence related to the loss of the Titan at the Charleston County Council Chambers, located at 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston.

The hearing will examine all aspects of the loss of the Titan, including pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications, mechanical and structural systems, emergency response, and the submersible industry, officials said.

The formal hearing is scheduled to convene daily at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on the following dates:

Monday, Sept. 16, 2024
Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024
Monday, Sept. 23, 2024
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024
Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024
Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 (if necessary)

The formal hearing was convened by Vice Adm. Peter W. Gautier, deputy commandant for operations. An MBI is the highest level of investigation in the Coast Guard. Upon completion of the investigation, the Board will issue a report to the Commandant with the evidence collected, the facts established, its conclusions, and recommendations, Coast Guard officials said.

Titan was on an expedition to explore the wreck of the Titanic when contact was lost one hour and 47 minutes into its dive on Sunday, June 18, 2023.

The Coast Guard, and other agencies, conducted an extensive search operation. The wreckage of the Titan submersible was subsequently found on the ocean floor, approximately 300 meters off the bow of the Titanic, and all five passengers died.

Due to capacity limitations, members of the public are encouraged to view the hearing via the live stream. Livestream information will be published closer to the convening date, officials said.

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