In June 2023, the OceanGate submersible imploded 3,800 meters below sea level on its final mission to the Titanic wreckage, claiming the lives of all five people on board.
With unprecedented access to the United States Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation and never-before-seen video, Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster will uncover the extraordinary story of what caused the disaster and how it might have been prevented when the two-hour special premieres Wednesday, May 28 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
“The Titan story captivated the world’s attention from the moment the vessel lost contact with the surface,” said Howard Lee, Chief Creative Officer of US Networks and President of Discovery Networks. “In this special, we will probe into the fascination with exploration, the risks that we are willing to take, and the ultimate price one can pay when pushing the limits of technology. It is a compelling journey into the haunting reality of this tragedy.”
Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster explores the factors leading up to that fateful day, from the founding of the OceanGate company by CEO Stockton Rush to the start of construction of the Titan– a first-of-its-kind carbon fiber submersible designed to take tourists down to the Titanic for a trip of a lifetime. The special provides a detailed account of the final mission, culminating in the tragic implosion, and igniting conversations about the necessary parameters of deep-sea exploration and safety protocol in the aftermath.
For the first time ever, global adventurer Josh Gates unveils groundbreaking new footage inside the Titan, shot in 2021 for his long-running Discovery Channel series Expedition Unknown – only months before the submersible started missions to the Titanic shipwreck. An unsettling interview with Rush, paired with a problematic test dive, ultimately caused Gates to halt production on the planned episode. Featuring candid interviews with technicians and deep-sea explorers involved with the Titan’s test dive, as well as longtime friends and colleagues of Rush’s, the special also delves into the insufficient protocols and warning signs that were detected on the submersible– and ultimately ignored.
Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using #ImplosionTheTitanicSubDisaster and following Discovery on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster is a co-production of Discovery Channel in the US, BBC Two and iPlayer in the UK, CBC in Canada, and ZDF in Germany, with the additional support of the UK Global Screen Fund, Rogers Documentary Fund and The Canada Media Fund.
