RCMP to investigate deaths aboard Titan sub, TSB reviewing logs
RCMP to investigate deaths aboard Titan sub, TSB reviewing logs
The Transportation Safety Board and the RCMP will be conducting separate investigations into the deaths of five people aboard the submersible Titan.
RCMP Newfoundland and Labrador Superintendent Kent Osmond says a team has been formed for a preliminary study to determine if a full investigation is warranted, or if any laws have been broken. No timeline has been set for the preliminary inspection.
He says this case is a unique circumstance due not only to the nature of the incident, but the number of jurisdictions involved.
Osmond says such a review does not necessarily mean anything criminal has occurred, adding that such investigations are common, as they have jurisdiction to investigation offshore deaths.
This, separately and in addition to the collaborative investigation being carried out by the Canadian and U.S. Transportation Safety Boards. Osmond says they expect cooperation between the separate endeavours.
He says their interviews have already begin, but it is too early to tell how long such preliminary work will continue.
A police officer standing behind a mic.
RCMP Superintendent Kent Osmond says a preliminary investigation of this type does not necessarily mean any criminal activity has occurred. (William Ping/CBC)
TSB reviewing Polar Prince bridge logs
Meanwhile, the Transportation Safety Board has begun gathering data from the Polar Prince, following the tragic loss of five people aboard the submersible Titan earlier this week.
TSB officials spoke to media Saturday and said they have a mandate to find out why the incident happened and reduce the chance of it ever happening again.
They say the voyage data recorder keeps a record of all audio from the bridge, and they will be reviewing those logs.
The TSB will be collaborating with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and estimate that the full investigation could take between 18 months and two years.
Meanwhile, the RCMP will be conducting a separate investigation into the incident and will provide details later Saturday afternoon.
empty floaring cradle
The docking apparatus used to transport the Titan submersible out to the Titanic wreck site arrives back in St. John’s, empty. (Roger Maunder/CBC)
Titan sub’s support ship returns
The Polar Prince, the Miawpukek Horizon ship which towed the Oceangate submersible Titan out to sea before her final dive, returned to St. John’s harbour Saturday morning.
It represents the end of a harrowing voyage for the support ship, which saw those on board losing connection with the sub on Sunday.
The Titan, a submersible used to visit the wreck of the Titanic, went missing an hour and 45 minutes into its dive about 700 kilometres southeast of Newfoundland.
This kickstarted a multi-day international search effort, which culminated on Thursday when the US Coast Guard announced that a debris field was found near the Titanic. They said the debris was consistent with a catastrophic loss of pressure on the submersible and declared the five men aboard as presumed dead.
A ship rests at the coast guard wharf in St. John’s.
The Polar Prince arrived back in St. John’s Saturday morning, following the ill-fated search for the lost Titan submersible. (William Ping/CBC)
While the US Coast Guard is continuing with some recovery and salvage efforts, most Canadian ships involved in the search have either returned to port or are en route there.
The Polar Prince had been involved with the search effort throughout the week and was carrying family members of some of the five missing crew. It’s return to St. John’s comes in the wake of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s announcement that it will be investigating the Polar Prince’s role in the Titan’s operations.
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