Before the submersible OceanGate Titan sank, communication problems arose between the occupants and crew above the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. One of their last sentences transmitted to the world above was: “All is well here.”

Nearly 15 months after British billionaire Hamish Harding, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, father-son duo Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood, and French sailor Paul-Henry Nargeolet died when the submersible OceanGate Titan imploded en route to the depths of the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard provided insight into those final moments at the start of a multi-day hearing as part of the investigation.

The U.S. Coast Guard presented the cartoon on Monday, the first day of what is expected to be a two-week hearing on the causes of the implosion.

The five people aboard the Titan communicated via text messages with the crew of the Polar Prince, a supply ship that took the submersible to the site of the ill-fated Titanic.

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An image of the Titan tail cone on the sea floor, taken in June 2023. (US Coast Guard / Pelagic Research Services)

The Polar Prince set sail from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, at around 9 a.m. local time on June 16, 2023. With the Titan on board, the two ships reached the Titanic’s location on the morning of June 18.

Shortly before 9:20 a.m. that morning, the submersible began its descent to the Titanic, with the occupants of both ships communicating via text message.

At 9:53 a.m., the Polar Prince asked the Titan crew if they could see the Polar Prince on their display inside the submersible. The Titan crew did not respond and after 15 minutes and six more messages, the crew responded by text message.

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The submersible Titan imploded on June 18, 2023, on its way down to see the Titanic. (Coast Guard)

The Polar Prince informed the crew of the Titan that they needed better communications.

The person who responded from the Titan identified himself as “PH,” which the Coast Guard believes was Nargeolet.

At this point, Titan had reached a depth of about 2,275 meters and a pressure of 3,337 psi.

When asked if they could see the Polar Prince on the display, Nargeolet replied to the Polar Prince: “Everything is fine here.”

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The submersible Titan imploded on June 18, 2023, on its way down to see the Titanic. (Coast Guard)

Communication between the two ships continued. The Polar Prince inquired of the Titanic about the location of the Titan and reminded her to note the location and time of the ejection of the “Niskin bottle”.

The crew of the Titan informed the crew of the Polar Prince at 10:41 a.m. that they would not use the bottle because it had not been cleaned.

At 10:47 a.m., Titan reported to the Polar Prince crew that it had dropped two weights.

Moments later, the Titan imploded.

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This image provided by OceanGate shows the submersible Titan descending into the ocean. (OceanGate Expeditions)

Shortly before 10:48 a.m., at a depth of 3,346 meters, the submersible’s communication and location to the Polar Prince were lost, the coast guard said.

That morning’s implosion sparked a global debate about the future of private underwater exploration.

The Coast Guard report found that the submersible was exposed to the elements during its seven-month storage period in 2022 and 2023. In addition, the hull was never inspected by a third party, as is standard procedure.

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This image provided by OceanGate shows the submersible Titan descending into the ocean. (OceanGate Expeditions)

The submersible’s unconventional design also attracted critical attention from the underwater exploration community.

The first witness to testify during Monday’s hearing was OceanGate’s former chief technical officer Tony Nissen. He said he felt pressured to start operations while working for the company. Nissen was asked if there was any pressure to put the Titan in the water and he replied: “100%.”

The Navy also asked the former technical director if the pressure had affected safety decisions and testing. After a long pause, Nissen said: “No. … That’s a difficult question, because if you had infinite time and an infinite budget, you could do infinite tests.”

In 2018, Nissen said, the Titan was struck by lightning during a test flight, possibly damaging the hull. Nissen said he was fired in 2019, the same year he refused to turn the Titan over to Titanic. He told Rush the Titan “didn’t perform the way we thought it would.”

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FILE PHOTO: The port rail of the Titanic lies in 12,600 feet of water, about 400 miles east of Nova Scotia, as photographed earlier this month as part of a joint scientific salvage expedition sponsored by the Discovery Channel and RMS Titanic. Scientists plan to illuminate and then raise the hull section of this legendary ocean liner later this month. (Reuters/File Photo/File Photo)

The submersible will later undergo further tests and adjustments before making further dives to the Titanic, Nissen testified. However, he told the panel on Monday that he did not trust the operating personnel and when Rush asked him to pilot the submersible, he said, “I’m not getting in that.”

According to Nissen, Rush can be difficult to work for and he is often very concerned about costs and project schedules. Nissen also said Rush would fight for what he wanted and that often changed on a daily basis.

“Most people would ultimately just return to Stockton,” he said.

The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. Upon completion of the process, recommendations are forwarded to the Commandant of the Coast Guard. The National Transportation Safety Board also conducts an investigation.

“There are no words that can ease the loss of the families affected by this tragic incident,” said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard Office of Investigations, who chaired the hearing. “But we hope this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent something like this from happening again.”

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Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Exhibitions, poses at Times Square in New York on April 12, 2017. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

Also scheduled to speak were Bonnie Carl, the company’s former finance director, and former contractor Tym Catterson.

After Titan lost contact with its escort ship two hours after landing, a large-scale search and rescue operation began, using rescue ships, aircraft and other equipment. The search took place about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention as it became increasingly unlikely that anyone could have survived the implosion. Wreckage from the Titan was later found on the sea floor about 1,000 feet off the Titanic’s bow, Coast Guard officials said.

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The investigation was originally scheduled to last a year, but it has taken longer. The Coast Guard said in July that the hearing would address “all aspects of the Titan’s sinking,” including mechanical aspects as well as compliance with regulations and crew qualifications.

The Titan has been making trips to the Titanic wreck site since 2021.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.