This June 2023 United States Coast Guard still frame from video provided by Pelagic Research Services, shows remains of the Titan submersible, center, on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. — US Coast Guard Video courtesy Pelagic Research Services via AP
Witnesses testified that the company that operated an experimental deep-water submersible that imploded, killing five people, put profits over safety and ignored warning signs before the disaster. Several company officials, meanwhile, spoke of the explorer spirit and taking calculated risks to push humankind’s boundaries.
Those different viewpoints emerged as the Coast Guard panel on Sept 27 wraps up two weeks of testimony on the Titan disaster last year. The panel is tasked with determining why the carbon-fiber submersible was lost 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) deep on the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic.
