The CEO of the ill-fated Titan submarine, which tragically imploded throughout an expedition to the Titanic ruins, had displayed a cavalier perspective mere months earlier than the catastrophe.
Stockton Rush, head of OceanGate, casually quipped “what might go incorrect” throughout a lighthearted interview with St John’s Radio in February 2023, discussing the upcoming voyage.
Earlier than Titan submarine tragedy the proprietor confirmed the within
The comment, captured in an audio clip unearthed by the Channel 5 documentary “Minute by Minute: The Titan Sub Catastrophe,” now echoes with chilling irony.
What else did Rush say?
Detailing the cramped situations of the submersible, which accommodated 4 different passengers on the journey to glimpse the Titanic’s resting place 12,000 ft beneath the Atlantic, Rush’s jest belied the gravity of the expedition.
He acknowledged the haunting apprehension felt by many considering such a enterprise, but maintained a indifferent perspective, solely totally absorbing the expertise upon resurfacing.
“For a lot of it is haunting,” he stated. “Once I’m down there driving the sub, it is a totally different expertise for me… I do not get to soak up it till I get to the floor.”
The precise consequence starkly contrasted with Rush’s flippant optimism. Simply 1 hour and 45 minutes into the dive, the Titan suffered a catastrophic implosion, claiming the lives of all onboard, together with Rush himself, together with famend Titanic skilled Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British tycoon Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Sulaiman Dawood.
In the course of the radio interview, Rush extolled the sub’s capabilities, waxing poetic concerning the underwater vistas and the breathtaking sight of the Titanic wreckage. Regardless of his assured assurances concerning the vessel’s resilience to underwater strain, subsequent scrutiny revealed obvious security oversights.
E-mail correspondence reviewed by the BBC uncovered inner warnings from advisor Rob McCallum, cautioning Rush concerning the lack of third-party certification for the submersible, an element endangering the lives of passengers.
Regardless of admonitions from deep-sea consultants and trade insiders, branding the Titan as an experimental craft unsuitable for Titanic expeditions, Rush endured in his pursuits, finally with tragic penalties.
