Mission specialist Fred Hagen is scheduled to be the first to testify Friday.Other witnesses have characterized mission specialists as people who paid a fee to play a role in OceanGate's underwater exploration.Other witnesses scheduled for Friday include engineer Dave Dyer of the University of Washington Applied Physics Lab and Patrick Lahey of Triton Submarines.The hearing is expected to resume next week and run through Sept.
27.During the submersible’s final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the Titan’s depth and weight as it descended.The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, “all good here,” according to a visual recreation presented earlier in the hearing.When the submersible was reported missing, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St.John’s, Newfoundland.
Four days later, wreckage of the Titan was found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.No one on board survived.OceanGate said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began.The Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021.
