Coast Guard convenes Marine Board of Investigation into loss of Titan sub, 5 people on board
BOSTON - The Coast Guard has officially convened a Marine Board of Investigation to determine what led up to the Titan submersible implosion that killed five people.
On Thursday, the Coast Guard discovered wreckage of the Titan approximately 1,600 feet off the bow of the Titanic.
The investigation will work to determine "whether an act of misconduct, incompetence, negligence, unskillfulness, or willful violation of law" contributed to the incident.
Evidence is now being recovered, and the Coast Guard is optimistic it can retrieve pieces of submersible from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, two and a half miles down.
The Coast Guard did not provide a timeline for the investigation, which can make recommendations on changes to maritime law and even recommend criminal charges.
"The MBI is also responsible for accountability aspects of the incident," said Coast Guard Captain Jason D. Neubauer, Marine Board of Investigation Chairman. "It can make recommendations to the proper authorities to pursue criminal or civil sanctions as necessary."
Investigators have already scheduled interviews with crew members of the Polar Prince, the ship which launched the Titan submersible on Sunday, June 18. The Polar Prince lost contact with the submersible an hour and 45 minutes into its dive. The Coast Guard said the Titan suffered a "catastrophic implosion."
Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said no one will have to pay for the search that covered approximately 13,000 square miles.
"As a matter of U.S. law and Coast Guard policy, the Coast Guard doesn't charge for search and rescue, nor do we associate a cost with human life," Mauger said. "We always answer the call."
The passengers on the 21-foot sub were British businessman Hamish Harding; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son, Suleman; French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; and Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, the company that operates the vessel.
