This 2022 OceanGate Report Proves That the Titanic Submarine Was a Disaster Waiting to Happen
#OceanGate and #Titanic are all the Internet can talk about. Unless you live under a rock, here’s a quick recap: A few days ago, a submersible watercraft called the Titan by OceanGate Expeditions went missing in the North Atlantic Ocean near Canada. The vessel carried five people on board: British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman; British billionaire Hamish Harding; French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; and founder and CEO of OceanGate Stockton Rush. All the tourists on board were part of an expedition to see the remains of the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean, but just two hours into their dive, communication was lost and the watercraft failed to resurface on schedule. The expedition started on June 18, and according to calculations, the five people on board have until June 22 before the watercraft’s air supply runs out.
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Despite the disastrous circumstances, we can’t help but notice the irony of it all: A submersible dedicated to finding the Titanic goes missing in the same area the Titanic sank. But it’s made even more disturbing by the fact that this disaster has just been waiting to happen.
About six months ago, CBS released a story about Titanic enthusiasts who pay a small fortune to ride OceanGate’s tourism submersibles. The most important part of the report: the blatant safety dangers of the entire project. Reporter David Rogue commented on the sub’s “improvised design” and the ridiculous use of a makeshift Playstation controller as the main steering wheel of the submarine. He even called some elements “MacGyvery.”
In response, OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush said, “Everything else can fail. Your thrusters can go, your lights can go, you’re still going to be safe.” OceanGate reportedly worked with Boeing and NASA on certain parts of the vessel, but that didn’t help Rush when he disappeared along with everyone else during the expedition.
In the report, Pogue talked to a participant of a test dive who revealed that the submarine lost contact—and navigation—for 2.5 hours. Not so dissimilar from the situation occurring now.
The most concerning part of the whole thing? The waiver form that warned that the “experimental submersible vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body and could result in physical injury, disability, emotional trauma or death.”
But for extreme Titanic tourists, it seems like the risks are worth it if it means they can catch a glimpse of the legendary Titanic. Nevermind the glaring red flags of the CBS report.
And that’s just counting the public information about OceanGate. Behind the scenes, experts, insiders, and oceanographers warned OceanGate multiple times about the extreme dangers of OceanGate’s untested submersible vehicles. According to the New York Times, at least 36 people within the last five years warned OceanGate of the risks of their “experimental” and “catastrophic” approach. One report even claimed that Rush was unwilling to pay for professional assessments of the vehicles.
The alarms were all raised, but it seems OceanGate was silent in its response. And the five people on the Titan submersible are paying the price.
For a full breakdown of OceanGate’s Titan vehicle, check out the CBS report below.
