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are the submersible passengers dead
are the submersible passengers dead
Oceangate/@tjmarkets on TikTok
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Are The Submersible Passengers Dead? This TikTok Explains The Chance

Sabrina Bernard

You might have opened your social media this week and have been bombarded with key words such as: “Titanic,” “Missing,” “Submersible,” and “Tourist.” Is everyone talking about the Titanic shipwreck that happened over 100 years ago? If so, why? That’s not exactly it. Over the past week, the media has been covering a rescue mission for a missing submersible that was set to explore the Titanic shipwreck. With limited amounts of oxygen left inside the submersible, the search has been extensive and stressful. It has people wondering, are the submersible passengers dead?

On Friday, June 16, a submersible (roughly the size of a minivan) set out on a tourist experience to explore the Titanic at almost 4,000 meters underwater. This experience was funded and created by OceanGate, a company that provides underwater tourism. The passengers included Hamish Harding, who is a british businessman, Shahzada Dawood, a vice chairman of Dawood Hercules,  his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a french sea explorer who is claimed to be “the greatest Titanic Explorer,” and Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate. After an hour and 45 minutes into the submarine’s descent, the crew lost communication. 

At around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20th, U.S. Coast Guard officials said that there was “only about 40 more hours” of oxygen left. Then, on June 22, OceanGate unfortunately confirmed the passengers were dead.

@tjmarkets

99.99% chance the passengers on the titanic submarine are gone. #titanicsub #titanic #submersible #submarine #titanicwreck #touristsub #missing #search #navyofficer #submarineofficer

♬ Sad and lonely – MoppySound

Despite some people who were hopeful that the five passengers will make it home safely, there were also a lot of skeptics on social media. One TikToker revealed the sad truth of what would happen to the passengers on board. A former anti-submarine officer in the Navy named Timothy James shared his views on the survival rate of the passengers on TikTok. James explained that even if they had found the submarine, it would be impossible to lift it from the water or open any of the doors due to buoyant forces. “It would take an act of God to pull something like this 13,000 feet under the water,” he said.

Unfortunately, it’s a catastrophic and traumatic loss for those passengers and their families. 

Sabrina Bernard

Queen's U '25

Sabrina Bernard is a writer Her Campus' National Program. She writes lifestyle content on the site, including entertainment, news, and experiences. Beyond Her Campus, Sabrina is heavily involved at her university, where she is an Orientation Coordinator for the largest not-for-profit orientation in Canada, she is the Co-President of the English Department Student Council, and models for her university's Sustainable Fashion club. She also volunteers at the local Animal Shelter when she goes home. Sabrina is currently a junior at Queen's University, majoring in English Literature with a certificate in French. She has also been a panelist at several literary conferences for her works. In her free time, Sabrina enjoys reading, playing with her cat Poppy, and petting every cat she can find on the streets. She's also a huge Modern Family fan and has rewatched the series multiple times.