The doomed Titan submersible actually “solved” a Titanic mystery a year before its fatal implosion.
In an archived OceanGate video, the company, which suspended its operations after the disaster, revealed what happened on a successful expedition to the liner’s wreck.
The mystery was discovered by one of the victims of last year’s disaster, French explorer and Titanic expert, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, who noticed a blip on sonar next to the shipwreck in the 1990s.
Following its discovery, it was speculated that the blip could have been caused by another shipwreck or a geological feature at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.
However, it would take 26 years after Nargeolet first made the discovery to explain what it was.
Prior to his death last year, Nargeolet had successfully visited the wreck site 37 times, including on the first expedition to recover artefacts in 1987.
When he finally got to explore the unknown structure in the Titan in 2022, Nargeolet discovered that it was a large ecosystem, thriving with marine life.
He had the chance to view it up close because of the Titan’s round viewing window.
“We didn’t know what we would discover,” he said. “On the sonar, this could have been any number of things including the potential of it being another shipwreck.
“I’ve been seeking the chance to explore this large object that appeared on sonar so long ago. It was amazing to explore this area and find this fascinating volcanic formation teeming with so much life.”
In the video of the discovery, it is claimed that manned submersible visits to the Titanic allow explorers to notice small details that it is claimed would likely be missed if they were viewed by unmanned submersible ROVs.
But while the Titan submersible did make it to Titanic on several occasions, later analysis of the experimental vehicle claimed that this weakened its carbon fibre hull over time.
It is speculated that this resulted in its “catastrophic implosion” last June, which claimed the lives of five people including Nargoelet – British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Sulaiman, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
The use of carbon fibre in the hull was subject to criticism within the submersible industry at the time.
Now experts including Titanic director James Cameron are questioning how OceanGate were ever able to offer commercial expeditions that cost $250,000 a head to the wreck.
The investigation into the accident remains ongoing, with the US Coast Guard confirming to The Independent confirming that it is currently in its fact-finding stage.
A spokesperson told The Independent: “A projected completion date is not available.
“The latter part of the fact-finding phase will include a public hearing, and the MBI will provide at least 60 days’ notice ahead of the public hearing.”
