US Navy: Hefty salvage system not required in probe of fatal Titan implosion

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT and STEVE LeBLANC
Associated Press

The U.S. Navy said Sunday it won’t be using a large piece of salvage equipment it had deployed to the effort to retrieve the Titan submersible. The Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System had the capability of lifting an intact Titan back to the surface. The submersible imploded on its way to tour the Titanic wreckage, killing all five on board. The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that debris from the submersible had been found roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) from the Titanic in North Atlantic waters. The Navy would only use the ocean salvage system if there were pieces large enough requiring the specialized equipment.