Is There Hope?

Admiral John Longer took the stage and began to deliver a statement. He thanked all those involved in the search for the missing vessel and provided an update on the most recent findings from ROV operations. After the briefing, he opened up questions to reporters.

The answers provided further insight into the progress of the search, and gave hope that it could soon be

NEW INFORMATION ON THE URGENT

AND AROUND THE CLOCK SEARCH FOR

THE MISSING SUBMERSIBLE VESSEL

IN THE ATLANTIC.

I WANT TO GO TO THE NEWS

CONFERENCE RIGHT NOW FOR THE

LATEST INFORMATION.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US

TODAY AND OVER THE PAST FEW

DAYS.

THIS AFTERNOON REAR ADMIRAL-

WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE

MOST RECENT FINDINGS FROM ROV

OPERATIONS IN SEARCH OF THE

TITAN THE MULTIPLE.

HE WILL PROVIDE A BRIEF

STATEMENT AND PROVIDE THE

OPPORTUNITY FOR QUESTIONS

AFTER.

PLEASE LIMIT QUESTIONS TO ONE

PER OUTLET.

FOLLOWING THE BRIEFING, THE

JOINT INFORMATION CENTER STAFF

AND I WILL BE HERE TO HELP YOU

WITH ANY OF YOUR FURTHER NEEDS.

ME NOW PLEASE INTRODUCE WHERE

ADMIRAL JOHN LONGER.

THIS MORNING, A ROV REMOTE

OPERATED VEHICLE FROM THE

VESSEL HORIZON ARE .

DISCOVERED THE TAIL CONE OF THE

TITAN SUBMERSIBLE APPROXIMATELY

1600 FEET FROM THE BOW OF THE

"TITANIC" ON THE SEAFLOOR.

THE ROV SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND

ADDITIONAL DEBRIS.

IN CONSULTATION WITH EXPERTS

FROM WITHIN THE UNIFIED

COMMAND, THE DEBRIS IS

CONSISTENT WITH THE

CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF THE

PRESSURE CHAMBER.

UPON THIS DETERMINATION, WE

IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE

FAMILIES.

ON BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES

COAST GUARD AND THE ENTIRE

UNIFIED COMMAND, I OFFER MY

DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO THE

FAMILIES.

I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT THIS

HAS BEEN LIKE FOR THEM.

AND, I HOPE THIS DISCOVERY

PROVIDES SOME SOULLESS DURING

THIS DIFFICULT TIME.

ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE BEEN IN

CLOSE CONTACT WITH THE RITESH

AND FRENCH COUNSEL GENERAL TO

ENSURE THEY ARE FULLY APPRISED

AND THAT THEIR CONCERNS ARE

BEING ADDRESSED.

THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT IN

THIS HIGHLY COMPLEX SEARCH

OPERATION HAS BEEN ROBUST AND

IMMENSELY APPRECIATED.

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE RAPID

MOBILIZATION OF EXPERTS ON THE

UNDERSEA SEARCH AND RESCUE AND

WE THANK ALL OF THE AGENCIES

AND PERSONNEL FOR THEIR ROLE IN

THE RESPONSE.

WE ARE ALSO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL

FOR THIS FULL SPECTRUM OF

INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANE THAT

HAS BEEN PROVIDED.

THE ROVS WILL REMAIN ON SCENE

AND CONTINUED TO GATHER

INFORMATION . AGAIN, OUR MOST

HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES GO OUT TO

THE LOVED ONES OF THE CREW.

WE WILL NOT TAKE QUESTIONS.

Reporter: CAN YOU TALK ABOUT

THE DELAY OF THE REPORT OF THE

VESSEL MISSING?

THIS WAS AN INCREDIBLY

COMPLEX CASE.

AND, WE ARE STILL WORKING TO

DEVELOP THE DETAILS FOR THE

TIMELINE INVOLVED WITH THIS

CASUALTY AND THE RESPONSE.

THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY EARLIER COMMENTS, I WANT YOUTO KNOW WE ARE COMMITTED TORECOVERY OF THE REMAINDER OFTHE TITAN FOR CLOSURE TO THESURVIVORS AND THE FAMILIES.

YES, THERE IS HOPE THAT THISSEARCH CAN BE SUCCESSFUL.

COMPLEX OPERATING VARMINT ON

THE SEAFLOOR.

OVER TWO MILES BENEATH THE

SERVICE.

THE REMOTE OPERATED VEHICLE HAS

BEEN SEARCHING AND IT IS HIGHLY

CAPABLE.

WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CLASSIFY

PARTS OF THE PRESSURE CHAMBER

FOR THE TITAN SUBMERSIBLE.

LET ME REFER TO ONE OF MY

UNDERSEA EXPERTS MR. PAUL

HANKIN TO TALK ABOUT THE NATURE

OF THE DEBRIS.

ESSENTIALLY WE FOUND FIVE

DIFFERENT MAJOR PIECES OF

DEBRIS THAT TOLD US IT WAS THE

REMAINS OF THE "TITAN".

THE INITIAL THING WE FOUND WAS

A NOSE CONE WHICH WAS OUTSIDE

OF THE PRESSURE HOLD.

WE FOUND A LARGE DEBRIS FIELD.

WITHIN THE LARGE DEBRIS FIELD

WE FOUND THE FRONT END BELL OF

THE PRESSURE HOLD.

IT WAS THE FIRST INDICATION

THAT THERE WAS A CATASTROPHIC

EVENT.

SHORTLY THEREAFTER, WE FOUND A

SECOND SMALLER DEBRIS FIELD.

WITHIN THE DEBRIS FIELD WE

FOUND THE OTHER END OF THE

PRESSURE HOLD, THE AFT END

BELL, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF THE

TOTALITY OF THE PRESSURE

VESSEL.

WE CONTINUED TO MAP THE DEBRIS

FIELD.

AS ADMIRAL SAID, WE WILL DO THE

BEST THAT WE CAN TO FULLY MAP

OUT WHAT IS DOWN THERE.

QUESTION TO ASK.

WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS OF

RECOVERY?

THE QUESTION WAS-I WILL

RESTATE THE QUESTION FROM THE

STANDPOINT OF SOMETIMES IT IS

HARD TO HEAR THE QUESTION HERE.

WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR

RECOVERING CREWMEMBERS?

THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY

UNFORGIVING ENVIRONMENT DOWN

THERE ON THE SEAFLOOR.

THE DEBRIS IS CONSISTENT WITH A

CATASTROPHIC IMPLOSION OF THE

VESSEL.

AND SO, WE WILL CONTINUE TO

WORK AND CONTINUE TO SEARCH THE

AREA DOWN THERE.

BUT, I DO NOT HAVE AN ANSWER

FOR PROSPECTS AT THIS TIME.

Reporter: IS THERE ANY

SUGGESTION AT ALL THAT THE SUB

ITSELF COLLIDED WITH THE

WRECKAGE OF THE "TITANIC" OR

INSTEAD, THEY HAVE IMPLODED

ABOVE THE WRECKAGE AND RAINED

DOWN NEARBY?

THE QUESTION WAS, IS THERE

ANY QUESTION AS TO WHETHER OR

NOT THE SUB COLLIDED WITH THE

"TITANIC" OR WHETHER IT

IMPLODED ABOVE AND DEBRIS FIELD

CREATED FROM THAT?

THE LOCATION OF THE TITAN

SUBMERSIBLE WAS IN AN AREA OF

PROXIMALLY 1600 FEET FROM THE

WRECK OF THE "TITANIC".

I HAVE AN EXPERT HERE THAT IS

FAMILIAR WITH THAT AREA AND CAN

TALK ABOUT THE DEBRIS FIELD AND

WHAT THE DEBRIS FIELD INDICATES

IN TERMS OF WHERE THE CASUALTY

MAY HAVE OCCURRED.

TRIPTYCH CAN YOU TELL ME WHEN

THE FLEET WILL BE CALLED BACK?

THE QUESTION IS, WHERE DOES

THE WRECK LIE IN RELATION TO

THE "TITANIC"?

I DO NOT HEAR THE ANSWER.

I THINK 1600 FEET.

THAT IS OFF OF THE BOW OF THE

"TITANIC" IN AN AREA WHERE

THERE IS NOT ANY DEBRIS OF THE

"TITANIC".

IT IS A SMOOTH BOTTOM.

TO MY KNOWLEDGE, IN ANYTHING I

HAVE SEEN, THERE IS NO

"TITANIC" WRECKAGE IN THAT

AREA.

200+ METERS FROM THE BOW AND

CONSISTENT WITH THE LOCATION OF

THE LAST COMMUNICATION FOR AN

IMPLOSION IN THE WATER COLUMN.

THE SIZE OF THE DEBRIS FIELD IS

CONSISTENT WITH THE IMPLOSION

IN THE WATER COLUMN.

Reporter: IN TERMS OF THE

TIME HERE, YOU SAY IT WAS A

CATASTROPHIC IMPLOSION.

IT IS EARLY ON, BUT IT IS IT

YOUR ADMISSION THAT HAPPENED AT

THE MOMENT THEY LOST CONTACT OR

DAYS AFTER THE SEARCH BEGAN?

THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT THE

TIMING OF THE CATASTROPHIC

IMPLOSION.

RIGHT NOW, IT IS TOO EARLY TO

TELL.

WE KNOW THAT AS WE HAVE BEEN

EXECUTING THE SEARCH OVER THE

COURSE OF THE LAST 72 HOURS AND

BEYOND, WE HAVE HAD SONAR BUOYS

IN THE WATER CONTINUOUSLY AND

HAVE NOT DETECTED ANY

CATASTROPHIC EVENTS WHEN THE

SONAR BUOYS HAVE BEEN IN THE

WATER.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE

WHAT HAPPENS FROM HERE?

IN REGARD TO FINDING MORE

DEBRIS.

THE QUESTION WAS, WHAT úHAPP

THE NEXT PHASE?

RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, OUR THOUGHTS

ARE WITH THE FAMILIES AND

MAKING SURE THEY HAVE AN

UNDERSTANDING AS BEST AS WE CAN

PROVIDE OF WHAT HAPPENED AND

BEGIN TO FIND SOME CLOSURE.

IN TERMS OF THE LARGE PROCESS,

WE WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE

THE SITE OF THE DEBRIS FIELD.

I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF

QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW, WHY AND

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN.

AND SO, THOSE ARE QUESTIONS

THAT WE WILL COLLECT AS MUCH

INFORMATION AS WE CAN ON NOW,

WHILE THE GOVERNMENT OUR

MEETING AND DISCUSSING WHAT AN

INVESTIGATION OF THIS NATURE OF

A CASUALTY MAY LOOK LIKE.

THIS IS SOMETHING- I WILL JUST

REMIND EVERYBODY.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED

IN A REMOTE PORTION OF THE

OCEAN WITH PEOPLE FROM SEVERAL

DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AROUND THE

WORLD.

IT IS A COMPLEX CASE TO WORK

THROUGH.

I AM CONFIDENT THAT THOSE

QUESTIONS WILL BEGIN TO GET

ANSWERED.

IS TO MAKE ANY

SUGGESTION THAT SPEED OR

ANYTHING COULD HAVE PREVENTED

THIS?

IS IT QUITE SIMPLY IN SUFFOLK

EVENT?

THE QUESTION WAS, IS THERE

ANY SUGGESTION THAT TIME

DOCTORS MAY HAVE PLAYED A ROLE

OR CONSIDERATION IN THE

CASUALTY.

THE DEBRIS FIELD IS CONSISTENT

WITH A CATASTROPHIC IMPLOSION

OF THE VESSEL.

AGAIN, WHILE WE WERE EXECUTING

THE SEARCH WE HAVE LISTENING

DEVICES IN THE WATER THROUGHOUT

AND DID NOT HEAR ANY SIGNS OF

CATASTROPHIC FAILURE FROM

THOSE.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE-

OR, DOCUMENT THE INFORMATION

AND UNDERSTAND BASED ON ALL THE

PERMISSION WE HAVE, THE

TIMELINE.

YOU ARE LISTENING TO A NEWS

CONFERENCE WITH REAR ADMIRAL

JOHN MAUGER WITH THE U.S. COAST

GUARD CONFIRMING THE FIVE

PEOPLE ON THE SUBMERSIBLE HAVE

PERISHED . SAYING IT WAS, " A

CATASTROPHIC IMPLOSION.

ALSO MENTIONING THE WHY, HOW

AND WHEN DID IT HAPPEN IS

UNCLEAR.

WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE

FAMILIES OF THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU

SEE ON THE SCREEN RIGHT THERE

WERE NOTIFIED BEFORE THEY HELD

THE NEWS CONFERENCE I WANT TO

GO TO ROXANA SABERI, WHO IS IN

BOSTON AND HAS BEEN FOR SEVERAL

DAYS COVERING THIS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE HOPING FOR A

MIRACLE BUT OBVIOUSLY AS HOURS

WENT ON AND KNOWING ABOUT THE

SUPPLY OF OXYGEN THEY HAD AND

THE FACT IT WAS NOT A

SUBMERSIBLE THAT HAD BEEN

APPROVED OR CERTIFIED BY ANY

REGULATORY BODY, MANY PEOPLE

HAD FEARED THE WORST.

TRIPTYCH AS YOU MENTIONED, WE

JUST HEARD FROM THE COAST GUARD

IN BOSTON.

THE COAST GUARD

HAS BEEN OVERSEEING AND LEADING

THE SEARCH EFFORTS TO REAR

ADMIRAL JOHN MAUGER DID SAY A

REMOTE VEHICLE DEPLOYED BY THE

CANADIAN COMMERCIAL VEHICLE "

HORIZON OPTIC " HAD FOUND

DEBRIS 1600 FEET FROM THE BOW

OF THE "TITANIC" ON THE

SEAFLOOR.

AND CONFIRMED THAT THIS WAS

CONSISTENT WITH THE LOSS OF THE

PRESSURE CHAMBER.

IT SHOWS THE CATASTROPHIC

IMPLOSION OF THE TITAN

SUBMERSIBLE THAT HAS BEEN

MISSING SINCE SUNDAY MORNING.

AS YOU SAID, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN

HOLDING ON TO HOPE THAT PERHAPS

THE PASSENGERS ON BOARD WERE

STILL ALIVE.

WE HAD HEARD REPORTS OF BANGING

NOISES THAT WERE EMITTED EVERY

30 MINUTES ON TUESDAY AND

WEDNESDAY.

WE HAVE NOT HEARD ANY UPDATES

ON THAT SINCE WEDNESDAY.

PEOPLE WERE HOPING THAT PERHAPS

THE PASSENGERS HAD SURVIVED.

WE ARE HEARING THERE WERE FIVE

PIECES OF DEBRIS THAT WERE

FOUND AND THEY WERE ALL

BELONGING, THEY SAID, TO THE

"TITAN" SUBMERSIBLE.

THEY ARE STILL INVESTIGATING

AND TRYING TO DETERMINE THE

TIMELINE AND WHAT EXACTLY

HAPPENED.

AGAIN, THEY SAID EVERYTHING

POINTS TO A CATASTROPHIC

IMPLOSION OF THE VESSEL.

THE REMOTE-OPERATED VEHICLES

WILL REMAIN ON SCENE.

I WANT TO TURN TO CBS NEWS

SUNDAY MORNING CORRESPONDENT

DAVID POGUE, HE JOINS US NOW.

DAVID, YOU WENT ON BOARD THE

"TITAN" LAST YEAR FOR A STORY

ABOUT THE SUB AND INTERVIEWED

THE CEO OF OCEANGATE.

CAN YOU TELL US YOUR REACTION

TO ALL OF THIS?

I KNOW YOU DID NOT GET THAT FAR

INTO IT, BUT WHAT HIM AND HIS

PARENTS AND A

ENDING.

IT IS A COMPLICATED BREW OF

EMOTIONS.

HAVE NOT COMPLETELY PROCESSED

THE FACT THAT STOCKTON RUSH,

THE CEO AND DESIGNER OF THE SUB

AND PILOT OF THE SUB IS GONE.

I SPENT NINE INTENSE DAYS WITH

HIM LAST YEAR ON THE HORIZON

ARCTIC, THE SHIP THAT

DISCOVERED THE WRECKAGE.

AND ONE OF THE MOST DIVED TO

TENANT EXPERTS IN THE WORLD,

AMAZING GUYS.

THEY WERE ADVENTURERS.

THEY ARE NOT LIKE ME OR

POSSIBLY YOU.

THEY THRIVE ON RISK AND

EXPIRATION.

IT IS HARD TO THINK THEY ARE

GONE