Photos of OceanGate Titan sub debris, possible human remains recovered

Debris from the 22-foot submersible Titan came ashore at a Canadian coast guard pier on Wednesday, marking an end to a chapter in the fatal implosion that captivated global audiences last week. 

Human remains were likely recovered from the Titan submersible wreckage, the U.S. Coast Guard announced Wednesday night. Twisted chunks of the submersible arrived in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and will be investigated for important clues as to why the implosion, which killed all five people on board, occurred.

The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the ongoing investigation, which involves several government agencies in the U.S. and Canada, into the \"major marine casualty\"  during the submersible’s June 18 descent, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

Pressure at the depth of the Titanic – 12,500 feet down – is nearly 380 times greater than at the surface, and the final moments of the Titan would have been swift, experts in physics and submarines told USA TODAY. 

As questions swirled about whether OceanGate may have over-hyped its ties to NASA, Boeing, and the University of Washington in developing the Titan submersible, the Coast Guard said it wants to use the investigation to improve safety of submersibles.

Photos of Titan sub debris

Contributing: The Associated Press, Thao Nguyen for USA TODAY