Underwater Robot Salvaging Of Titan Submersible; Testimonies Blame Company (image @EUFreeCitizen)
The US Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) released footage of the Titan submersible’s salvage. The footage was captured by a remotely operated vehicle on June 26, 2023. However, the video was shown during a hearing of what led to the imploding of the submersible. The footage was released on September 23, 2024. As part of the ongoing investigation, the wreckage was recovered and transported to a secure facility for further analysis.
The Titan submersible was on a deep-sea expedition to explore the wrecks of Titanic. It imploded killing all the five onboard. Testimonies during the first week of the investigation launched by US Coast Guard, cast a damning spotlight on the company that made the submersible, OceanGate. The Washington-based company, and its co-founder Stockton Rush – who was also killed in the tragedy – has been put under scrutiny.
The company, has charged wealthy adventurers around $250,000 per dive, and is now being scrutinised for prioritising profit over safety.
“What this really comes down to is hubris and greed,” Peter Girguis, a Harvard oceanographer, told CNN. Drawing grim parallels between the Titan disaster and the Titanic’s sinking over a century ago, he said, “It’s both tragic and ironic that this hubris occurred within a few hundred metres of the Titanic, another emblem of human pride”.
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As per the testimony, one of the last messages sent from the Titan came at 10:14 am local time in Newfoundland: “All good here.” Just 30 minutes later, at 10:47 am, the submersible reported it had “dropped two weights,” which is considered as a possible indication of the crew’s attempt to abort the mission. Six seconds after that message, all contact was lost.
The final message and loss of communication came around 90 minutes into the dive. The Titan’s wreckage was later found on the ocean floor, just hundreds of yards from the Titanic’s remains.
Chris Roman, an expert in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, stated how out of place the disaster was in the deep-sea exploration world. “It’s not a cavalier, high-risk, daredevil event if done properly,” Roman said. “If you cut corners, it will bite you.”
David Lochridge, one of the hearing’s key witnesses, former director of marine operations at OceanGate, was concerned about the Titan’s safety years before the tragedy. Lochridge testified that OceanGate’s focus was on “making money” rather than ensuring the vessel’s safety. He branded the company’s operations as “smoke and mirrors”.
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He described a 2018 report in which he detailed serious safety issues, including concerns about the submersible’s viewport, which was certified for a depth of only 1,000 metres. However, OceanGate reportedly intended to take the submersible to 4,000 metres – far beyond its certified capacity.
Lochridge also recounted a troubling incident during a 2016 dive to the Andrea Doria shipwreck, in which Stockton Rush allegedly panicked while piloting the Cyclops 1 submersible. He testified that Rush had made multiple errors during the dive and that he had to intervene to bring the sub safely back to the surface. “Just remember I’m the CEO, you’re just an employee”, Rush reportedly told him during one dive.
At the same time, Renata Rojas, a mission specialist, who was on board during that dive, gave a different account. She testified that no one panicked, and there was no shouting or swearing, as Lochridge had claimed.
