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

• The 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. 
• On Sunday, a top Coast Guard official said they do not "associate a cost with human life."

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

Rear Admiral John Mauger told reporters 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, particularly given the immense wealth of its passengers, has been hotly debated in the wake of the submersible's implosion. 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 on June 18. Its mission was to ferry passengers 12,500 feet down to the shipwreck of the RMS 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 United Kingdom arrived to scour the ocean's surface, searching through an area twice the size of Connecticut. US and Canadian military officials also sent multiple aircraft to the scene, deploying 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," and all five passengers are presumed dead.

On Sunday, Mauger noted that the Coast Guard often rescues people who put their own lives at risk — including people who enter 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 money the US Coast Guard and other countries spent on the days-long efforts to locate the Titan. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the submersible's implosion, and an official told reporters Saturday that civil or criminal sanctions may result.