Coast Guard says it 'doesn't charge for search and rescue' amid questions on cost of the Titan submersible-rescue efforts

• The US Coast Guard fielded questions on the cost of its efforts to rescue the Titan submersible.
• The rescue efforts, which included multiple vessels and aircraft, are estimated to cost millions.

In response to mounting questions about how much the search-and-rescue mission for the Titan submersible is set to cost taxpayers, a top official said Sunday that the US Coast Guard would not "associate a cost with human life."

Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters that it would be illegal to charge people for the cost of rescuing them.

"As a matter of US law and Coast Guard policy, the Coast Guard doesn't charge for search and rescue," Mauger said. "We always answer the call."

The value of the extensive search-and-rescue efforts has been hotly debated in the wake of the submersible's implosion, particularly given the immense wealth of its passengers. OceanGate charged its passengers $250,000 apiece to board the Titan submersible, which has been criticized for lacking certifications and safety features.

The Titan was launched into the Atlantic Ocean roughly 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, on June 18. Its mission was to ferry passengers 12,500 feet down to the shipwreck of the Titanic. But the vessel went missing after nearly two hours, launching a multinational effort to rescue the five passengers.

Vessels from the US, Canada, France, and the UK arrived to scour the ocean's surface and searched an area twice the size of Connecticut. US and Canadian military officials also sent multiple aircraft to the scene and deployed sonar buoys to detect underwater noise up to 13,000 feet deep.

Finally, after four days of rescue efforts, a Remotely Operated Vehicle discovered debris from the Titan on the seafloor, some 1,600 feet from the Titanic's bow.

Officials said the debris was consistent with a "catastrophic implosion of the vessel." All five passengers are presumed dead.

On Sunday, Mauger said the US Coast Guard often rescued people who put their own lives at risk — including people who entered the water with inadequate safety gear, inadequate training, or even while intoxicated.

"The ocean remains an unforgiving environment, and every weekend there are risks… But we still answer the call," Mauger said. "We conduct disciplined operations with warranted risk to put our resources and our lives at risk to save others. That's who we are."

It's unclear how much was spent on the dayslong effort to locate the Titan. The US Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the submersible's implosion, which an official told reporters on Sunday could result in civil or criminal sanctions.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the day of the press conference. It was on Sunday, not Saturday.