Polar Prince crew seen disembarking for the first time since Titan's doomed launch

After a long, arduous week at sea, passengers and crew of the Titan submersible's mothership left the vessel for the first time since the launch of the doomed underwater craft – hours after being interrogated by investigators onboard, exclusive DailyMail.com photos show. 

Docking at 8:15am local time as the sun broke through the morning haze, the Polar Prince support ship returned to its home port at St. John's Harbor in Newfoundland Saturday as authorities announced their probe into the fatal disaster. 

The 41 passengers and crew – which included family members of the victims – had remained near the OceanGate sub's dive site on the Atlantic since the launch of the ill-fated June 18 mission, which ended in a catastrophic implosion that killed all five explorers on board the craft. 

But even after a traumatic and torturous six-day journey under intense media glare, it would take another several hours after the ship's arrival for everyone aboard to begin exiting the Polar Prince and finally mark the end of the nightmare expedition. 

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show the passengers and crew of the Polar Prince support ship finally disembarking the vessel after returning to St. John's Harbor on Saturday morning

The support vessel, which had launched the doomed Titan submersible under the Atlantic on June 18, had remained at sea near the dive site amid the search for the missing craft 

Passengers, including Abbi Jackson (far right) a 22-year-old videographer employed by the company, were seen on the deck of the ship on Saturday as they anxiously waited to disembark

Crew members and relatives were seen looking somber as they received a briefing onboard upon their return to land, docking at the Canadian Coast Guard's Atlantic headquarters. 

Canadian police and members of the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada swiftly boarded the ship to begin their questioning before anyone could even disembark. 

Canadian officials, some of whom were dressed in hi-vis vests and hard hats, and law enforcement officers were seen getting on and off the boat throughout the day, with exhausted passengers and crew members trickling off as the afternoon rolled on. 

Rib boats were also spotted towing what appeared to be the Titan submersible's launch platform away from the Polar Prince and further along the port. 

Photos show people milling on deck, some passengers ducking into cabins with one woman covering her head as she exited the ship. 

One frustrated young passenger could be seen flipping the bird at photographers as she dragged a suitcase downstairs. 

Abbi Jackson, a 22-year-old videographer employed by the company onboard the mothership, was among those spotted on the deck of the ship Saturday as passengers anxiously waited to disembark. 

The ship docked at the Canadian Coast Guard's Atlantic headquarters Saturday morning around 8.15am but its occupants did not begin exiting vessel until about 11 hours later 

With an investigation into the incident and OceanGate's practices now underway, passengers appeared less than thrilled to be under an intense media glare 

By 7pm Saturday, large groups finally began walking off with their bags and other belongings before hopping into vans and taxis, and driving off

Some passengers seemed to be at pains to avoid cameras and public attention, with one woman covering up in a hoodie, sunglasses, and face mask 

 Polar Prince ship returns to shore Saturday morning after the Titan disaster. Two Canadian Coast Guard vessels that took part in the search effort also returned to St. John's harbor on Friday evening

Jackson had shared a video of the moment the OceanGate Expeditions submersible began its doomed voyage to the Titanic wreck in selfie footage posted to TikTok. 

The post, captioned 'watching a submarine go down to the Titanic', pans away from the ship's deck to show Titan on the surface of the Atlantic some distance away. 

She also filmed one of the sub's doomed passengers, Paul Henri Nargeolet, who has been dubbed 'Mr. Titanic' for visiting the wreckage 37 times. The 77-year-old could be seen sitting on the side of an inflatable boat before waving and smiling at the camera. 

Jackson later shared her thoughts on the missing sub on Instagram, where she thanked well-wishers for their concern and asked them to pray for the missing crew. 

By 7pm Saturday, large groups finally began walking off with their bags and other belongings before hopping onto vans and taxis, and driving off. 

Some passengers, the majority of whom had traveled to St John's from other parts of the country for the expedition, were then taken to the Double Tree Hotel and the local Alt Hotel in the city. 

The ship's crew and passengers were seen looking somber as they finally disembarked at the Canadian Coast Guard's Atlantic headquarters

A TSB chairwoman confirmed the passengers and crew were interviewed by officials and were cooperating with the investigation

Some passengers, the majority of whom had traveled to St John's from other parts of the country for the expedition, were then taken to the Double Tree Hotel and the local Alt Hotel in the city

While the ill-fated underwater mission has come to an end, members aboard the support ship and OceanGate's crew still face a safety – and a potential criminal – probe into the incident

The Polar Prince had taken part in a massive search effort for the Titan about 435 miles south of St. John's, which came to an end on Thursday following confirmation the sub had imploded deep underwater, likely soon after it launched the previous Sunday. 

Shortly after authorities announced that debris discovered near the Titanic wreck confirmed the Titan's implosion, both US and Canadian authorities announced they were launching investigations into the disaster and the safety practices relating to the incident. 

In a press conference Saturday, TSB chairwoman Kathleen Fox confirmed they had conducted interviews onboard and said they had received 'full cooperation' from passengers and crew. 

Later on Saturday Canadian police also revealed they are considering a separate criminal probe into the catastrophe. 

Speaking at a news conference that day, Superintendent Kent Osmond with the RCMP said that they have begun probing whether or not a criminal investigation is necessary.

'A team of investigators has been established with the sole purpose of answering the question of whether or not a full investigation is warranted,' Osmond said. 

'Such an investigation will proceed only if an examination of the circumstances indicate criminal or federal or provincial laws may possibly have been broken.

Despite undergoing a traumatic and arduous journey at sea, people aboard the Polar Prince were still subjected to hours of waiting and questioning upon their return to St. John's 

Canadian officials, some of whom were dressed in hi-vis vests and hard hats, and law enforcement officers were seen going on and off the boat throughout the day

The Polar Prince had taken part in a massive search effort for the Titan about 435 miles south of St John's, which came to an end on Thursday with the confirmation the sub had imploded deep underwater, likely soon after it launched 

'It would have been inappropriate for the RCMP to initiate this action during the recovery efforts,' Osmond said.

'Following the US coastguards announcement earlier this week, we will now look at the circumstances that led to those deaths.

'Our investigators are engaged and active in this manner as of this morning.'

Two Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) vessels that took part in the search effort also returned to St. John's harbor on Friday evening, with one remaining on site at the scene of the disaster. 

A crowd gathered by the dock to watch the return of the Terry Fox and the Ann Harvey, while the John Cabot remained on site provide assistance and support to the recovery and salvage operations. 

The US Coast Guard said on Friday that a formal inquiry has not yet been launched, because maritime agencies are still busy searching the area where the vessel was destroyed.

Debris was located about 12,500 feet underwater, several hundred feet away from the Titanic wreckage it was on its way to explore.

On board the doomed sub alongside Nargeolet were British billionaire explorer Hamish Harding, 58, UK-based businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, and OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush.

Abbi Jackson, a 22-year-old videographer on the mothership, Polar Prince, shared a video of the Titan (seen here just to the left of her camera) moments before it went under water

Miss Jackson also filmed one of the sub's passengers, Paul Henri Nargeolet – dubbed Mr. Titanic – shortly before he boarded the missing craft 

The OceanGate submersible, the Titan, lost contact with the mothership during its descent to the shipwreck Sunday morning on June 18

At 9.45am – an hour and 45 minutes into the dive – it lost contact with its mothership, the Polar Prince. 

But it wasn't reported as missing to the US Coast Guard until 5.40pm, eight hours later. Canada's Coast Guard wasn't alerted until even later – 9.13pm on Sunday night. 

Last year, the Titan lost communications with the mothership for two hours during a similar dive. It resurfaced, and the mishap was documented jokingly by a CBS reporter who happened to be on board at the time. 

The company has not yet explained why it took so long to alert the Coast Guard when the Titan lost communications last Sunday. 

In a statement last Tuesday, it said: 'For some time, we have been unable to establish communications with one of our submersible exploration vehicles which is currently visiting the wreck site of the Titanic.

'Our entire focus is on the wellbeing of the crew and every step possible is being taken to bring the five crew members back safely. 

The Titan sub is shown on Sunday morning, seconds before submerging at around 8am with five people onboard

The Polar Prince is the expedition ship being used in the dives. It didn't alert the Coast Guard until 5.40pm

TIMELINE OF EVENTS: The Titan lost contact with the surface sparking panic. All timings given in BST, five hours ahead of EST. 

 'We are deeply grateful for the urgent and extensive assistance we are receiving from multiple government agencies and deep-sea companies as we seek to reestablish contact with the submersible. 

'We pray for the safe return of the crew and passengers, and we will provide updates as they are available.' 

'We haven't even found them yet. If we do, I would raise it to 15 per cent. It is bleak – I don't want to say it but I'm trying to be realistic. 

'Miracles do happen [like the Thai boys who were lost in a cave in 2015] but this is a different situation. 

'This is a desperate race against time.' 

Paul Henri Nargeolet – dubbed Mr. Titanic' – (left) was taking part in the expedition, along with Stockton Rush, CEO of the OceanGate Expedition

Among those taking part in the expedition is billionaire Hamish Harding, CEO of Action Aviation in Dubai. He excitedly posted to social media about being there on June 18, the day the submersible started its voyage

Sulaiman Dawood, 19, who is missing on board the submarine is pictured with his mother Christine

Shahzada Dawood, 48, (pictured with his wife Christine) a UK-based board member of the Prince's Trust charity, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, are amongst the five people missing in the submarine that set off to see the wreck of the Titanic, it was revealed today

But as it turns out the five aboard were almost certainly already dead.

OceanGate compared the search to trying to find a 'minivan' in the enormous ship's wreckage. 

'The problem, it is most likely on the bottom at this point because it wasn't found on the surface and it doesn't seem to be making any noises so this leads me of a pessimistic thought-process that they are unable to turn on the hull. 

'We're then talking about trying to find a minivan amongst the wreckage of the Titanic. 

'Once they find it though we've got to get it up to the surface which means either freeing it if it's lodged in the Titanic somehow.'

Talking before confirmation that the submersible was lost 

'Or more likely, they have lost the ability [to surface], so we need to hoist them which needs a ship with a 2.5mile-long cable. 

'The most difficult part will be getting the hook on to it. It's like that arcade game except you can't see, so paint the walls black, and make it 2.5miles long – and there's wind in there so it is blowing around. 

'All is not lost yet because they still have oxygen but… imagine the sub is on the far side of the moon – that is a better representation. 

'Even if you find it, how do you get it back up? They can't open it from the inside – it's bolted from the outside.' 

Marquet lamented the fact that there are few other – if any other – vessels with the capability of diving to 12,500ft to rescue them.

'The US and Royal Navy have a long history of operating submarines and they don't go as deep as these guys do. They are in uncharted territory. If our subs went that deep, everyone would be dead.

The 22-foot deep-sea vessel that imploded with five people on board as it dove towards the wreck site of the Titanic

'The sub would rupture – there would be a crack in the hull, or a pipe would burst, it would fill with water sink to bottom. And the pressure... everyone would die.' 

'At this pressure – it's 400 times the pressure of sea level. That is hard to conceive . 

'It would take all the air in a room and collapse it to the size of a trash can. At these pressures, if it sprung a leak, they would be dead before they know it.' 

Aaron Amick, a US Navy contractor and veteran, echoed his concerns. 

'I know everyone is waiting on the US Navy to save the day, but our rescue sub is limited to 2,000ft depth. 

'There is no one able to reach the Titan who can rescue Titan. Her only hope is to find a way to the surface on her own where we can help,' he said. 

Amick likened the Titan to a 'tomb' dropped in the water with no emergency air breathing devices onboard. 

'They basically lock 5 people in a tomb and drop it to the bottom. The crew never had a chance,' he said, adding that occupants can only get out if it is on the surface.

'Loss of power or structural failure are my two best guesses. Both? Sitting on the bottom either way,' he said.