By Isabelle Wilson-
A woman who lost both her husband and son in the Titan submersible implosion has revealed how they spent their final moments on board.
Christine Dawood, wife to British Pakistani, Shahzada Dawood, and mother to Suleman Dawood, said the passengers listened to their favourite music as they descended in the ocean in pitch-black darkness.
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The father and son were likely killed instantly in what is believed to have been an implosion which destroyed the vessel less than two hours into the dive on June 18.
Ms Dawood told the New York Times the crew were told to wear thick socks and a hat due to plunging cold temperatures.
They were also told to make a playlist of their favourite songs to play via Bluetooth during the descent.
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The passengers were also told to go on a “low-residue diet” prior to the voyage, and instructed not to have coffee in the morning.
The Titan had only a cramped toilet behind a curtain.
The crew was told they would be in total darkness during the descent because the Titan needed to save the batteries for when they would turn on the headlights at the wreck.
The new details about the crew’s last moments come amid recent reports that most of the OceanGate dives to the wreck of the Titanic were reportedly unsuccessful.
According to an in-depth report by NYT published on Sunday, most of the 12,000-ft dives by the Titan did not end with up-close views of the world’s most famous shipwreck.
The Times reported that more missions were aborted than accomplished.
In the aftermath of the sub’s implosion, which killed all five passengers including OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, several people have shared issues they experienced during their Titan dives.
Experts had cautioned that under intense pressure at extreme depths the Titan’s hull could implode, which would result in instant death for anyone aboard the vessel.
“I don’t think people can appreciate the amazing energy involved in the destructive process of an implosion,” Bob Ballard, a member of the team that found the Titanic wreck in 1985, told ABC News. “It just takes out and literally shreds everything.”
A sphere is a “perfect shape” because water pressure is exerted equally on all areas, said Chris Roman, a professor at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.
The 22-foot long (6.7-meter long), 23,000-pound (10,432-kilogram) Titan’s larger internal volume — while still cramped with a maximum of five seated people — meant it was subjected to more external pressure.
The water pressure at 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface at the site of the Titanic wreck is roughly 400 atmospheres or 6,000 pounds per square inch.
Oceangate has been criticised for ignoring safety warnings long before the doomed expedition and subjecting all the passengers including those who missed the trip to the high risk of death.
Last week, the firm behind the Titanic tourist submarine that imploded killing five people was arrogantly still advertising trips down to the wreckage of the for the 2024 season.
OceanGate says potential voyagers can fork over $250,000 (£198,235) for the “chance to step outside of everyday life and discover something truly extraordinary,” according to the firm’s website, with two 2024 trips scheduled, which are set to occur from June 12 through June 20 and June 21 through June 29.
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