'Landing frame and rear cover' found at debris field in hunt for missing sub
Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, former Commander-in-Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy, told Sky News that "the nature of the announcement suggests this debris is in some way connected with the Titan".
Thursday 22 June 2023 19:23, UK
A "debris field" has been discovered in the search for Titan - with a rescue expert telling Sky News that the missing sub's landing frame and rear cover have been found.
A remotely operated underwater vehicle on the sea floor made the breakthrough - and the US Coast Guard is evaluating the information ahead of a news conference at 8pm UK time tonight.
David Mearns, a rescue expert who knows two of the five men onboard, has received a WhatsApp message suggesting two crucial parts of the system have been detected - but the hull is yet to be found.
US Coast Guard to make statement - follow live updates
Mr Mearns told Sky News: "They don't use phrases like 'debris field' unless there's no chance of a recovery of the men alive.
"A debris field implies a break-up of the submersible... that really sort of indicates what is the worst-case scenario, which is a catastrophic failure and generally that's an implosion.
"The only saving grace is that it would have been immediate - literally in milliseconds - and the men wouldn't have known what was happening."
Mr Mearns knew British billionaire Hamish Harding and the French submersible pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who were on the voyage.
In an emotive interview, he said his "worst fears have now been realised" - and he had been praying for a different outcome.
"Two friends of mine are gone," Mr Mearns said.
Officials are yet to confirm whether the debris is linked to the missing submersible - but nonetheless, it is a potential breakthrough in an increasingly urgent, round-the-clock rescue effort.
The ROV, which is equipped with cameras and sonar, had successfully managed to reach the sea floor.
Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, former Commander-in-Chief Fleet of the Royal Navy, told Sky News that "the nature of the announcement suggests this debris is in some way connected with the Titan".
He explained: "There is of course a large debris field around the Titanic - and the various things we've seen retrieved from the Titanic have come from the debris field. It covers several hectares.
"But I think if this was Titanic debris, the Coast Guard would have made a distinction in the announcement. I think on balance this is probably grim news and suggests the Titan might have imploded under the immense pressure of the seawater while it was on its way down."
Titan had disappeared on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean - 435 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada - during an expedition dive to see the wreck of the Titanic.
Also on Thursday, a deep-sea robot called Victor 6000 headed to the search area. It has remotely controlled arms that can cut cables and perform other manoeuvres to release a stuck vessel, and is able to go deeper than the Titanic itself.
Five men are on board - and alongside Mr Harding and Mr Nargeolet are the British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, alongside OceanGate's US-based chief executive and founder Stockton Rush.
The US Coast Guard had predicted the air supply in the vessel would run out at 12.08pm UK time on Thursday.
Ships, planes and underwater craft from multiple countries were deployed to the area with rescuers searching a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean more than twice the size of the US state of Connecticut in waters as deep as 4,020m (13,200ft).
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