(NewsNation) — The passengers on board the Titan submersible reportedly spent their final moments “absorbed in darkness” listening to music.
The New York Times released a report detailing how the divers prepared for the expedition to tour the Titanic wreckage. Christine Dawood shared what she knew with the Times. The last time she saw her husband Shahzada and son Suleman was on Father’s Day. She watched them from a support ship as they climbed into the 22-foot submersible.
According to Coast Guard officials, the Titan lost contact about an hour and 45 minutes later.
“I was also looking out on the ocean, in case I could maybe see them surfacing,” Christine told the Times. Four days later, officials announced that the submersible had imploded and all five people on board were dead.
Killed in the implosion were OceanGate CEO and pilot Stockton Rush; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada and Suleman; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
On June 18, the divers had to be on deck by 5 a.m., according to the Times.
“It was like a well-oiled operation — you could see they had done this before many times,” Christine told the Times.
Rush reportedly told everyone to have a “low-residue diet” the day before the trip, and coffee wasn’t recommended. Passengers were also encouraged to wear thick socks and bring a beanie, according to the Times.
“Mr. Rush would ask, please load some of your favorite songs into your phone to share with others to play on a Bluetooth speaker. But please, he would add: No country music,” Christine told the Times.
Passengers also wore OceanGate flight suits, waterproof trousers, an orange waterproof jacket, steel-toed boots, life vests and helmets.
The Titan typically descended about one mile per hour, according to the Times, and there was “no sense of motion.”
OceanGate Expeditions, the company that owned and operated the Titan, is based in the U.S. but the submersible was registered in the Bahamas. OceanGate is based in Everett, Washington, but closed when the Titan was found. Meanwhile, the Titan’s mother ship, the Polar Prince, was from Canada, and those killed were from England, Pakistan, France and the U.S.
The operator charged passengers $250,000 each to participate in the voyage. The implosion of the Titan has raised questions about the safety of private undersea exploration operations. The Coast Guard also wants to use the investigation to improve safety of submersibles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.