Just months before his life was lost in the disaster, OceanGate’s CEO joked about the risks involved in diving to the Titanic with his submersible Titan.
Stockton Rush was only 61 years old when he and four others aboard the doomed ship perished on its nearly impossible journey.
A documentary film by ITN this year entitled The Titan submarine disaster: minute by minutecontains previously unpublished footage of the search and rescue operations for the submersible.
It also included a clip from a radio show featuring OceanGate’s CEO talking about his upcoming trip to the infamous Titanic wreck.
The submarine was destroyed by a fatal implosion on June 18, 2023. The cause was the extremely high water pressure and the inferior materials used in the construction of the submarine. Rush and the four other people on board were killed: British billionaire Hamish Harding, French shipping expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Shahzada Dawood and his son Sulaiman.
The design of the Titan had caused a lot of excitement in the years leading up to the voyage, as many had warned him that the ship could potentially be dangerous for the people on board.
In fact, this was exactly what was expressed in an email from a former OceanGate employee who was concerned about the safety of the submarine and expressed Rush’s views on the matter, which were ultimately ignored.
Former employee David Lochridge wrote: “I don’t want to come across as a snitch, but I’m so worried that he’s killing himself and others to boost his ego.”
The submersible Titan was ultimately doomed. (OceanGate/Becky Kagan Schott)
“I would consider myself quite brave when it comes to doing dangerous things, but with this submarine there is a high risk of an accident happening.
“There’s no way you could have paid me to dive that thing.”
The ruling came just days after Lochridge reportedly inspected the submersible and found a host of concerns.
He had conveyed his concerns to Rob McCallum, a project employee at OceanGate. However, by the time of Titan’s ill-fated dive, both had already left the company due to safety concerns.
A few months before the Titan submarine disaster, Rush had jokingly said on Canadian radio station St. John’s Radio: “What could possibly go wrong?”
Just over four months later, contact with the submarine Titan was lost while he was on board, resulting in a “catastrophic implosion” that resulted in the deaths of all five people on board.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was warned that the submarine was an “unforeseeable accident.” (OceanGate)
A timeline of the Titan submersible disaster:
OceanGate’s submersible Titan begins its descent
On June 18, 2023, the OceanGate Expedition’s 21-foot submersible named Titan descended at 8 a.m. ET and began its journey to the wreck of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
There were five people on board the ship with an oxygen supply for 96 hours.
Who was on board the Titan?
On board the ship were 61-year-old OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 58-year-old British billionaire Hamish Harding, 77-year-old Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 48-year-old British-Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman.
The Titan loses contact with the supply ship
About one hour and 45 minutes after the start of the landing approach, the Polar Prince loses contact with Titan.
A few hours after the submersible was expected to resurface, the U.S. Coast Guard received a report of an overdue submersible.
The submarine imploded due to the high water pressure. (OceanGate/Becky Kagan Schott)
Search process is started
When the ship does not resurface or make contact after almost 24 hours, the U.S. Coast Guard launches a large-scale operation on June 19, 2023.
“Popping noises” are detected
Two days after the Titan disappeared on June 21, 2023, the sonar teams involved in the search registered “banging noises”, giving rise to the false hope that the passengers were still alive.
Titan’s oxygen supply is running low
On June 22, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, the submersible’s 96-hour oxygen supply is expected to be depleted, increasing fears for the crew on board.
A “debris field” is discovered, leading to the realization of a “catastrophic implosion”
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that the Titan was destroyed by a “catastrophic implosion” – a result of enormous water pressure and failing materials – and that all five people on board were killed.
The Titan submarine disaster: minute by minute continues tonight (7 March) at 9pm on Channel 5.
