WASHINGTON— The Coast Guard is scheduled to conduct a formal hearing starting Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, South Carolina, for the Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) to consider evidence related to the loss of the Titan submersible.
The hearing is scheduled to take place at the Charleston County Council Chambers, located at 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, South Carolina. Due to capacity limitations, members of the public are encouraged to view the hearing via the livestream. Livestream information will be published closer to the convening date.
The formal hearing is scheduled to convene daily at 8:30 a.m. EDT on the following dates:
- Monday, Sept. 16, 2024
- Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024
- Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024
- Friday, Sept. 20, 2024
- Monday, Sept. 23, 2024
- Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024
- Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024
- Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024
- Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 (if necessary)
The hearing will examine all aspects of the loss of the Titan, including pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications, mechanical and structural systems, emergency response and the submersible industry.
The formal hearing was convened by Vice Adm. Peter W. Gautier, deputy commandant for operations. An MBI is the highest level of investigation in the Coast Guard. Upon completion of the investigation, the Board will issue a report to the Commandant with the evidence collected, the facts established, its conclusions and recommendations.
Titan was on an expedition to explore the wreck of the Titanic when contact was lost 1 hour and 47 minutes into its dive on Sunday, June 18, 2023. The Coast Guard, along with other agencies, international partners and private entities, conducted an extensive search operation. The wreckage of the Titan submersible was subsequently found on the ocean floor, approximately 300 meters off the bow of the Titanic, and all five passengers were declared deceased.
Information about the hearing, including the schedule, news releases and exhibits, will be posted to the Titan MBI website throughout the hearing at https://www.news.uscg.mil/News-by-Region/Headquarters/Titan-Submersible/. Hearing updates will also be posted via Twitter @MaritimeCommons with the hashtag #TitanMBI.
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