*Originally published on June 20, 2023, at 11:02 a.m. (MT)
Updated on June 28, 2023, at 12:23 p.m. (MT):

On Sunday, June 18, a touring submersible went missing in the North Atlantic during a voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic. And touring company OceanGate announced last Thursday that the five crewmembers have "sadly been lost."

And on Wednesday, new photos reveal the debris of the Titan submersible for the first time since its catastrophic and deadly failure last week.

"We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost. 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."

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger said at a news conference Thursday, "The outpouring of support in this highly complex search operation has been robust and immensely appreciated. We are grateful for the rapid mobilization of experts on the undersea search and rescue, and we thank all of the agencies and personnel for their role in the response. We're also incredibly grateful for the full spectrum of international assistance that's been provided."

To give you perspective, here's a video below of what it looks like inside the submersible:

Officials have yet to conclusively determine when the implosion occurred—either at the moment when Titan stopped communicating 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive. However, according to CNN, a Navy review of acoustics data detected an "anomaly consistent with an implosion or explosion" on Sunday in the general area where the Titan was diving when communication ceased.

The graphics below shows how the submersible imploded upon itself:

Earlier Thursday reports from the U.S. Coast Guard indicated that a "debris field" was discovered near the Titanic. Diving expert David Mearns told the BCC that the debris includes "a landing frame and a rear cover from the submersible." The debris was found on the ocean floor, roughly a third of a mile off of the bow of the Titanic.

According to the Coast Guard, there were "five different major pieces of debris" that helped in the identification of the Titan submersible. The debris field is consistent with a "catastrophic implosion" of the sub.

Mauger said, "This is an incredibly unforgiving environment down there on the sea floor, and the debris is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel. We’ll continue to work and search the area down there, but I don’t have an answer for prospects at this time."

Below is a map of the area:

Officials and search and rescue operatives raced against the clock to locate and rescue the sub "Titan," as the deadline for remaining oxygen levels had passed on Thursday morning. 

New reports from The New York Times also stated that Wendy Rush, Director of Communications and wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, is actually a descendant of a couple who was onboard the Titanic in 1912 but, sadly, went down with the ship on that fateful night.

Wendy is the great-great-granddaughter of Isidor and Ida Strauss. Famously, the Straus’ relationship was included in James Cameron's Titanic (1997), which included a scene that showed a couple holding each other as waters rose in their cabin. The Times says that survivors recalled seeing the couple on the deck of the ship as it sank, however.

The couple was among the wealthiest on board the Titanic; Isidor co-owned Macy’s department store at the time, reports say.

The Coast Guard called upon other agencies and countries for help, including the United States Navy and the Canadian Armed Forces.

"There is an enormous complexity associated with this case, due to the location being so far offshore and the coordination between multiple agencies and nations," said Capt. Jamie Frederick, the First Coast Guard District response coordinator, on Wednesday.

More than 10,000 square miles were searched to locate the missing sub. A Canadian P3 Aurora aircraft to conduct sonar searches; two research vessels, R/V Polar Prince and R/V Deep Energy, to conduct surface searches; and a French research ship, Atlante, with an underwater robot for below-surface searches.

"The unified command brings that expertise and additional capability together to maximize effort in solving this very complex problem," added Frederick.

In the early morning Wednesday, a Canadian aircraft heard "underwater noises in the search area" every 30 minutes, the U.S. Coast Guard announced on Twitter. The noises then started up a plan to get remotely operated vehicle operations to search for the origin of the noises. 

U.S. Coast Guard First District Commander Rear Adm. John Mauger said there's "a lot of metal and different objects in the water around the site ... We don't know the source of that noise, but we’ve shared that information with Navy experts to classify it."

OceanGate Expeditions, the group conducting the voyage, said in a statement on Monday:

"For some time, we have been unable to establish communications with one of our submersible exploration vehicles which is currently visiting the wreck site of the Titanic. Our entire focus is on the wellbeing of the crew and every step possible is being taken to bring the five crew members back safely. We are deeply grateful for the urgent and extensive assistance we are receiving from multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies as we seek to reestablish contact with the submersible. We pray for the safe return of the crew and passengers, and we will provide updates as they are available."

• Timeline of Events (in GMT):​​​​​
  • Friday, June 16: The Polar Prince departs St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • Saturday, June 17: The Polar Prince arrives at the dive site
  • Sunday, June 18:
    • 8 a.m.: When the sub aimed to start its journey
    • 12 p.m.: Titan starts what should be a 2-hour descent
    • 1:45 p.m. The last communication between the vessel and surface staff of OceanGate is recorded
    • 7 p.m.: This is the time the vessel was originally scheduled to resurface
    • 9:40 pm.: Authorities are notified, and a response operation is initiated
  • Monday, June 19:
    • U.S. and Canadian search and rescue efforts continue searching for the missing submersible
  • Tuesday, June 20:
    • 2:50 p.m.: France comes to aid in the search by deploying Atalante, a ship with a deep-sea diving vessel
    • Throughout the day: Banging sounds are detected every 30 minutes for several hours
  • Wednesday, June 21:
    • 6 a.m.: U.S. Coast Guard confirms the detected underwater noises and sends a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to investigate
    • Late in the evening: More rescue vessels arrive to aid in the search
  • Thursday, June 22:
    • 10 a.m.: The deadline passes for when estimated oxygen levels will run out
    •  
• Who's on Board Titan:
  • Five people are in the missing submersible, according to authorities:
    • Hamish Harding - British businessman and owner of Action Aviation
    • Paul-Henri Nargeolet - French maritime expert and Director of Underwater Research for RMS Titanic, Inc.
    • Shahzada Dawood - British businessman and Vice Chairman of Engro Corporation
    • Suleman Dawood - Shahzada's 19-year-old son
    • Stockton Rush - CEO and founder of OceanGate

OceanGate Expeditions charges passengers "from $250,000" to explore the Titanic, reports say. The wreckage sits about 13,000 feet below the surface. It's part of an eight-day journey conducted by OceanGate Expeditions.

The OceanGate’s director of marine operations, David Lochridge, wrote a report in 2018 that said the submersible needed more testing and passengers might be endangered when it reached "extreme depths," according to a lawsuit filed that year in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

*This is an ongoing story and will be updated accordingly. Refresh for the latest!