TSB starts research on Polar Prince, support vessel for submarine Titan
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it is launching an investigation into the operation of the Titan submarine by the support vessel Polar Prince off the coast of Newfoundland near the Titanic wreck.
In a press release issued shortly after 4 p.m. NT on Friday, the TSB said the investigation is “in compliance with the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board Act and international agreements.”
As the investigative authority of Canadian ships, the TSB said it will conduct “a security investigation into the circumstances of this operation conducted by the Canadian-flagged ship Polar Prince.”
A team of TSB investigators is in St. John’s to collect information, conduct interviews and assess the deadly incident that killed all five crew members aboard the Titan.
“In the coming days, we will coordinate our activities with other relevant agencies,” the TSB wrote in its release. “This is all information available at this time. Updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.”
On the way home
All Canadian rescue vessels involved in the search for the lost submarine Titan are now returning to base after concluding on Thursday that the submarine and its five crew members were lost.
It is now time for those four Canadian ships to “regenerate search and rescue capabilities and prepare for future search and rescue efforts,” a statement from the Joint Rescue Command Center reads.
The Polar Prince – a Newfoundland ship that was to tow the Titan submarine out to sea last weekend – is also coming home, after a harrowing week of searching around the Titanic wreck.
It had also been carrying relatives of some of the five missing crew members.
The ship is majority owned by Miawpukek Horizon, a company founded by the Miawpukek First Nation.
“It’s going to be tough on the [Polar Prince crew]Miawpukek Chief Mi’sel Joe said Friday. “They take care of the ship, they take care of themselves and they take care of the family on board. My heart goes out to them. To all. It’s a loss of life and it’s never easy for the family.”
The U.S. Coast Guard believes the debris field for the Titan was found within 200 yards of the Titanic. It is believed the submarine imploded under the pressure of the water on its way down, killing the five men instantly.
“The extent of Canadian salvage and recovery assistance is currently under discussion,” the JRCC statement reads.
Pain is personal to the chief of Mi’kmaq
Joe understands the pain better than most. He lost his eight-year-old son in a drowning incident 53 years ago. Joe traveled to St. John’s this week to be close to the quest and couldn’t help but feel the pain of his own loss decades ago.
“I had a sense of sadness. Heartbreaking sadness for the family that was out there, and the family that was waiting for them to come home,” he said. “I know how that feels.”
Joe was due to be on the Titan for a previous expedition but had to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He told CBC News he wasn’t sure he would have lasted eight hours in the tiny twenty-foot submarine, where crew members couldn’t even stand.
“Now, at this stage, I thank my lucky stars that I didn’t do it,” he said.
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