'They were smiling': Witness recalls last view of Titan crew

A ngo specializer for the institution that owned the Titan submersible has spoken astir the past clip she saw its doomed passengers arsenic they near to research the wreck of the Titanic.

"I saw 5 radical smiling connected the mode to their journey," Renata Rojas told a US Coast Guard enquiry connected Thursday. "They were conscionable blessed to go, that’s the representation I have."

Titan, operated by OceanGate, imploded successful June 2023 during the dive, sidesplitting each connected board. Ms Rojas, who was connected a aboveground enactment vessel, said everything was "working precise smoothly" earlier the sub began its descent.

But she told the probe that she remembered losing communications, asking colleagues: "We haven't heard from them, wherever are they?"

The Titan's implosion led to questions implicit the submersible's information and design, and the materials utilized successful its construction.

Ms Rojas told the enquiry that she was the "platform assistant" connected the time of the dive, "mostly lasting astir until idiosyncratic needed help".

The enquiry earlier this week was told of the past messages arsenic the sub descended towards the Titanic, with the unit stating "all bully here" minutes earlier the sub suffered a catastrophic implosion.

Ms Rojas said she was connected the span of her vas arsenic communications were lost, but said rescue protocol advised to hold an hr arsenic passengers mightiness beryllium spending other clip exploring their destination.

The speech past turned arsenic the sub failed to resurface. Ms Rojas said she recalled conversations connected the span astir calling the seashore guard.

"We went into 'go mode'," she said.

She said determination were a fig of options disposable if the sub was stuck connected the water floor, including releasing the legs oregon waiting for the tide to change. The Titan had 96 hours of beingness enactment onboard, she added.

However, she said determination was thing anyone successful the sub could person done if the hull failed.

Ms Rojas described a 2021 expedition successful which she recalled however the dome fell disconnected the submersible arsenic it was being retrieved from the water.

At 1 constituent erstwhile the submersible was being pulled backmost onto the ship, she described a "seesaw" effect wherever the sub was expected to beryllium mildly placed connected the ship, but the unit fto it spell and it fell.

Ms Rojas said the forces connected the beforehand level of the sub sheared the clamp and the dome broke vacuum.

"There was only, I think, 2 bolts oregon 4 bolts connected the dome," she said.

"It started dripping, falling off," she added. The incidental led to crews putting 18 bolts connected the dome for different expeditions.

Rojas, a self-described Titanic obsessive, told the enquiry she ne'er felt unsafe during her ain dives.

"I recovered them to beryllium precise transparent astir everything," she said astir OceanGate unit debriefs. "I knew the hazard and inactive decided to go."

The enquiry continues.