How the horror unfolded: Sub imploded metres away from Titanic with crew dying in ‘milliseconds’

THE submersible Titan imploded just metres away from the Titanic killing the five crew in “milliseconds”. A spokesman for the US Coast Guard said debris found in the search for the missing sub is “consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber”. ReutersThe Titan submersible vanished less than two house into its descent to the Titanic wreckage on Sunday[/caption] AFPA huge rescue operation was launched to rescue the sub and its passengers[/caption] ReutersRear Admiral John Mauger said the missing sub Titan suffered a ‘catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber’[/caption] Rear Admiral John Mauger told a press conference in Boston earlier today: “This morning, an ROV, or remote operated vehicle from the vessel Horizon Arctic discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible approximately 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor. “The ROV subsequently found additional debris. In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. “Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families. “On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them. “And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time.” The pilot and four passengers of the missing Titan submersible are believed to be dead. OceanGate Expeditions said its pilot and chief executive Stockton Rush – along with Brit Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet “have sadly been lost.” In a statement, OceanGate Expeditions said: “These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. “We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.” He said that five “major pieces” had been found The tail cone of the submersible was found around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic wreckage. They include part of the pressure chamber, the nose cone, the front-end bell and the aft-end bell. The pieces were found on the North Atlantic Ocean sea floor around 1,600ft from the bow of the Titanic on Thursday morning. Undersea expert Paul Hankin said: “We found five different major pieces of debris that told us that it was the remains of the Titan. “The initial thing we found was the nose cone which was outside of the pressure hull. “We then found a large debris field. “Within that large debris field we found the front-end bell of the pressure hull. That was the first indication that there was a catastrophic event. “Shortly thereafter we found a second smaller debris field. Within that debris field we found the other end of the pressure hull – the aft end bell – which basically comprises the totality of that pressure vessel. “We continue to map out the debris field, and as the admiral said, we will do the best we can to fully map out what’s down there.” Rear Admiral Mauger added there did not appear to be any connection between the underwater noises detected during the search and rescue mission and the location of the debris on the seafloor. “This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel which would have generated a significant broadband sound down there that the sonar buoys would have picked up,” he said. David Mearns – a pal of two of the Titan passengers – believed the debris held vital clues about what happened to the sub. He told Sky News: “It was a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible. “It means the hull hasn’t yet been found but two very important parts of the whole system have been discovered and that would not be found unless it was fragmented. “Again this is an unconventional submarine, that rear cover is the pointy end of it and the landing frame is the little frame that it seems to sit on.” Mearns also pointed to the fishtail fairing of the sub. He added: “If the faring is off and the frame is off – then something really bad has happened to the entire structure.” The OceanGate sub vanished less than two hours into its descent to the Titanic wreckage on Sunday and has not been seen since until the debris discovery today. Mearns added that it was a tragedy. He said: “Because we know that they lost communications with it at around 3,300m… that really indicates what is the worst case scenario, which is a catastrophic failure. “The only saving grace is that it would have been immediate, literally in milliseconds and the men would have no idea what was happening. “My worst fears as of Monday have now been realised. “So yeah, two friends of mine are gone.” APStockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate was piloting the sub when it disappeared[/caption] AFPBusinessman Shahzada Dawood, right, and his son Suleman were on board the sub[/caption] Not known, clear with picture deskHamish Harding, a billionaire businessman, also died in the sub disaster[/caption] Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet also perished in the Titan