Featured Image Credit: OceanGate
Topics: Titan Submersible, Titanic, World News, Documentaries, BBC
Olivia Burke
Topics: Titan Submersible, Titanic, World News, Documentaries, BBC
A chilling joke which the OceanGate CEO cracked months before his doomed trip on the Titan sub has resurfaced after further dramatic footage of the tragedy was released.
It has been almost two years since the fateful voyage in June 2023, which killed all five people who were onboard Stockton Rush's submersible.
The 61-year-old co-founder of the deep-sea exploration company, OceanGate, died alongside British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, British-Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Sulema.
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The men were around 90 minutes into their descent to visit the Titanic crash site, which lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, when the Titan suffered a catastrophic 'implosion.
Investigators believe this was a result of both the enormous water pressure and failing materials - as the submersible had some questionable design choices, to say the least.
OceanGate had decided against having the Titan 'classed' by independent inspectors to ensure it met technical standards, amid concerns it would set them back by years.
Rush also firmly believed in the abilities of the sub - declaring that the voyage to the depths of the Atlantic would be 'one of the safest things he will ever do' before the Titan headed off.
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Tragically, this was not the case.
Around four months before the incident, which captured the attention of the globe, Rush had also made a joke about the upcoming trip to admire the Titanic - which, in hindsight, is very chilling.
He had been speaking to the Canadian radio station, St John's Radio, about the voyage on his submersible when he said: "What could go wrong?"
His haunting words have resurfaced ahead of the release of the BBC documentary, Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster, which airs on BBC Two tomorrow (27 May) at 9pm.
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The broadcaster has given viewers a sneak peek of what to expect in the hour-long programme, which delves into the US Coast Guard's investigation into the Titan tragedy.
Among an array of other evocative footage, which will feature in the documentary, there is video of the moment which Rush's wife, Wendy, first realises something might have gone wrong.
Take a look at this:
Wendy was among a number of people who were onboard a support ship - the Polar Prince, which was monitoring the activity of the sub - when suddenly, they hear a huge 'bang'.
At the time, those above the surface had no idea what horrors were going on beneath them.
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In the clip, Wendy can be seen eagerly awaiting messages from those onboard the Titan, but she is instead left stunned after she hears a sound similar to a door slamming blast through the radio.
She then turns to other crew members and asks: "What was that bang?"
But Wendy went on to remain in the dark about the reality of the situation, as moments later, a message came through from the sub which explained they had 'dropped two weights.'
As a result, Wendy and other members of the OceanGate team continued to believe that the deep-sea excursion was going ahead as planned - but by this point, the five men were dead.
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This footage was presented to the USCG Marine Board of Investigation, the body which has been probing the Titan's fatal failure for the last two years.
Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster is set to include a string of other damning revelations, according to the BBC, such as how huge concerns which were raised about the construction of the sub.
The carbon fibre used to build the Titan began to break a year ahead of the doomed voyage, investigators reveal in the documentary.
Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster airs on Tuesday 27th May on BBC Two at 9pm. It will also be available on BBC iPlayer.