The Titan submersible had suffered a serious incident a few days before the implosion that killed its five passengers in June 2023 during an exploration of the wreck of the Titanic, the former scientific director of the company that operated the device, OceanGate, testified Thursday.
Speaking to the US Coast Guard, which has been conducting hearings since Monday as part of its investigations into the fatal accident, this official, Steven Ross, explained that a dive had to be “interrupted” because of a “malfunction on the platform that took a long time to correct.”
According to him, when the submersible came back up to the surface, it tipped over and its “bow was pointing up in the air,” vertically. Steven Ross, who was with four other passengers on the plane, described the jolts that followed, because “there’s nothing to hold on to inside.” The pilot that day, OceanGate boss Stockton Rush, “crashed into the rear bulkhead, the rest of the passengers fell over (…),” and one of them found himself “hanging upside down,” Steve Ross testified. The incident did not cause any injuries but was “unpleasant” and lasted “at least an hour.”
According to Steven Ross, Stockton Rush was “upset” by what had just happened. The OceanGate boss was part of the crew of five people who went missing after his last dive, on June 18, 2023, to observe the wreck of the Titanic.
Contact was lost less than two hours after departure. A major rescue operation was launched to save the passengers but the submersible was destroyed shortly after its dive by a “catastrophic implosion” killing all five men instantly, including 77-year-old French scientist Pierre-Henri Nargeolet, nicknamed “Mr. Titanic.”
Controversies over negligence arose very quickly after the accident, particularly over the porthole which could not have technically withstood such depths. The family of the French explorer has sued the OceanGate company in the American courts and is claiming $50 million for negligence.
