Doomed Titan sub seen on ocean floor in haunting first image after tragedy killed five

Over a year after the tragic implosion of the Titan submersible, which claimed the lives of all five crew members, the first image of the submarine resting on the ocean floor has surfaced.

The haunting photo, taken by a remotely operated vehicle during the search operation, shows the submarine's aft tail cone standing upright in the silt at 3,775 meters deep. The release of the eerie image coincides with the start of a two-week inquiry into the catastrophe on Monday.

The hearing is being conducted in Charlestown, South Carolina, by the US Coast Guard, where it was disclosed that the final communication received from the Titan was "all good here". Sent at 10:47 a.m., the last known message from the crew read: "dropped two wts".

Tragically, the submersible broadcasted its final signal barely six seconds after that message was transmitted, indicating it had reached a depth of approximately 3,346 meters. It emerged that the Polar Prince mothership noted no indications of distress from the Titan crew, reports the Mirror US.

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After two meticulous recovery efforts, searchers identified "presumed human remains" on the seabed. These grim discoveries were brought to land and conclusively matched with the DNA of the five passengers of the ill-fated submersible. The Polar Prince apprehended the severity of the situation at around 10:49 a.m., subsequent to a "lost tracking" message to the crew.

Despite sending urgent and repeated communications every few minutes, there was no response from the sunken Titan. By 11:45 a.m., it became apparent that communication had been lost. Search and rescue teams later recovered the remains of British explorer Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, OceanGate's CEO Stockton Rush, and French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet. The Polar Prince spent around three hours searching for the deep-sea vessel before alerting the coast guard at 6:27 p. m.

According to a new lawsuit, the explorers reportedly knew they would die after a final desperate attempt to save themselves. OceanGate, the company that built the Titan, offered its "deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died" in a statement.

A spokesperson said: "There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic accident." The search for the submersible drew global attention as it became increasingly unlikely that anyone could have survived the implosion. The wreckage of the Titan was later found on the ocean floor, approximately 300 meters (330 yards) off the bow of the Titanic, according to Coast Guard officials.

The timeline for the probe was initially set to one year, but the investigation has stretched beyond that period. Back in July, the Coast Guard announced that the hearing would explore "all aspects of the loss of the Titan," delving into mechanical issues, adherence to rules, and the qualifications of the crewmembers. The Titan had been embarking on trips to the Titanic's final resting place.