Why on earth do they have any controller, aside from some sort of emergency up button.
Furthermore, what the hell is the emergency plan??? This is going to cost taxpayers millions of dollars. The CEO who should be held criminally liable is inside the sub. I really, really hope they're found alive so that he can be held to account for this.
With regard to the people talking about COTS reliability of Microsoft, Logitech or whichever non mil spec components etc.
* Nobody tested that device when they had been working on an ocean going vestle.
* Nobody checked what happens if you have saltwater on your hands when you pick it up.
* Nobody checked what happens if it is exposed to salt fog for periods of time.
This is a potentially tragic event that I hope has a happy ending.