Deep Sea Robot Locates Sub Wreckage, Recovers Possible Remains

Nearly a week after officials announced OceanGate Expeditions’ submersible, the Titan, suffered a “catastrophic implosion” after finding a piece of the vessel near the bow of the Titanic, the wreckage has been found and recovered from the ocean floor. 

The Odysseus 6K, a remote-operated vehicle from Massachusetts-based Pelagic Research Services, made the discovery and helped in the recovery effort. The remote-operated underwater robot helped in the initial search for the Titan and continued to map and document the area as it searched for debris. 

The Coast Guard announced Wednesday that debris and evidence were recovered from the ocean floor and are being transported by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter to a port where the Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) will facilitate further analysis and testing. Coast Guard officials say U.S. medical professionals will also conduct a formal analysis of “presumed human remains that have been carefully recovered within the wreckage.”

“I am grateful for the coordinated international and interagency support to recover and preserve this vital evidence at extreme offshore distances and depths,” said MBI chair captain Jason Neubauer. “The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy. There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again.”