The four Titanic submersible rescue ships this morning returned to port bearing the weight of the loss of five men.
The lead vessel was the MV Polar Prince - the mothership that towed the underwater vehicle into the Atlantic Ocean before its "catastrophic implosion". A team of US and Canadian federal investigators boarded the ship at 8am ET and will now determine how the implosion took place.
A coastguard source told the Sunday Mirror: "None of the crew was allowed to disembark until all had been interviewed by investigators. Both US and Canadian governments are taking the death of the five men extremely seriously and want to know every detail about how they came to die. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board and the US National Transportation Safety Board have both sent investigators to the Polar Prince."
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The return of the rescue operation comes as criticism continued to mount about the safety of the Titan and experts and past passengers - who paid up to £195,000 a ticket - continued to question the sub's owners and the vessel's safety.
The submarine suffered a structural failure close to the ill-fated liner, which lies 12,500ft from the surface of the sea bed. The five men, three of whom were British, on board would have died instantly, experts have said.
It is understood relatives of the deceased - Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Suleman Dawood, 19, Hamish Harding, 58, the sub’s American boss Stockton Rush, 61, and French Navy veteran Paul-Henri (PH) Nargeolet, 77 - were in St John’s when the ships arrived home.
The Canadian coastguard ships, Ann Harvey and Terry Fox and offshore vessel Skandi Vinland, had returned to St John's Harbour hours earlier. All had taken part in the mammoth search and rescue operation that involved British, American and Canadian personnel.
The Mirror reported a heavy silence fell over St John's as the rescue ships returned one by one. Local man John McKenna, 77, told the Mirror: "None of us wanted this outcome. We hoped beyond hope the men would all come back safe but the Titanic curse once again plague our town."
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