CEO of doomed Titan sub made damning joke before fatal disaster
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush had joked about the perils of diving down to the Titanic on his Titan submersible just months before the disaster that would claim his life.
A new documentary by ITN, The Titan Sub Disaster: Minute by Minute, has featured previously unheard audio from the search and rescue efforts for the sub.
However, it also contained a clip from a radio show featuring the OceanGate CEO talking about his upcoming journey to the wreck of the Titanic.
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Rush's submersible had already attracted concern over its design, with several warning him that his vessel was potentially unsafe.
Emails from former OceanGate employee David Lochridge showed he had expressed concerns about the Titan sub and Rush's views on the matter, as he wrote: "I don’t want to be seen as a tattle tale but I’m so worried he kills himself and others in the quest to boost his ego.
"I would consider myself pretty ballsy when it comes to doing things that are dangerous, but that sub is an accident waiting to happen.
"There’s no way on earth you could have paid me to dive the thing."
The verdict came just days after Lochridge had reportedly inspected the submersible and found a plethora of concerns.
He had sent his concerns to OceanGate project associate Rob McCallum, though both had left the company due to safety concerns by the time of the Titan's ill-fated dive.
A few months before the Titan sub disaster, Rush had been speaking on Canadian radio station St John's Radio when he joked: "What could go wrong?"
A little over four months later contact would be lost with the Titan sub while he was on board, resulting in the deaths of Rush and four other people on board following a 'catastrophic implosion'.
A timeline of the Titan submersible disaster:
OceanGate's Titan submersible begins its descent
On 18 June, 2023, OceanGate Expedition's 21-foot submersible, named Titan, submerged at 8am E.T and began its tour to the wreckage of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Five people were onboard the vessel with a 96-hour oxygen supply.
Who was onboard the Titan?
Onboard the vessel was OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, British-Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman.
The Titan loses contact with support vessel
The Polar Prince loses contact with the Titan around one hour and 45 minutes into its descent.
A few hours after the submersible was supposed to resurface, the US Coast Guard received a report of an overdue submersible.
Search operation is launched
The US Coast Guard launch a large-scale operation on 19 June, 2023, when the vessel fails to resurface or make contact almost 24 hours on.
'Banging noises' are detected
Two days on from the Titan's disappearance on 21 June, 2023, sonar crews taking part in the search pick up 'banging noises', giving false hope that the passengers are still alive.
The Titan's oxygen supply 'runs out'
At 1pm E.T on 22 June, 2023, the submersible's 96-hour oxygen supply is predicted to have ran out, cementing fears for the crew onboard.
A 'debris field' is discovered, leading to the realisation of a 'catastrophic implosion'
The US Coast Guard confirms the Titan was destroyed by a ‘catastrophic implosion’ - a result of both enormous water pressure and failed materials - with the loss of all five people aboard.
The Titan Sub Disaster: Minute by Minute will continue at 9pm tonight (7 March) on Channel 5.
Topics: Titan Submersible, Titanic, News
Joe Harker