A new report reveals that the tragic Titan submarine accident, which claimed five lives in June 2023, could have been prevented. The report criticizes Oceangate's CEO, Stockton Rush, for ignoring safety warnings and fostering a toxic safety culture. The investigation highlights design flaws and inadequate maintenance as key factors in the disaster.
Toxic Culture Blamed for Fatal Titan Submarine Accident
Toxic Culture Blamed for Fatal Titan Submarine Accident
The tragic accident involving the Titan submarine, which resulted in the deaths of five people in June 2023, could have been avoided. This is the conclusion of a report that sharply criticizes the company's CEO, Stockton Rush, who also perished in the accident.
– This accident and the loss of five lives could have been prevented, said Jason Neubauer, the head of the investigation, during the report's release on Tuesday.
The mission was to descend 3,800 meters to view the wreck of the Titanic, which sank in April 1912. Instead, five people died when the Titan submarine imploded in the Atlantic in June 2023.
One of the deceased was the pilot and Oceangate's CEO, Stockton Rush, who now faces severe criticism as the U.S. Coast Guard presents its final analysis of the accident, as reported by several media outlets.
According to the 335-page report, Rush was repeatedly warned about safety deficiencies on the submarine. However, the report states that he not only ignored the warnings but also threatened those who raised concerns.
"Oceangate's toxic safety culture, corporate structure, and operational practices were severely flawed, and at the core of these failures were glaring discrepancies between their written safety protocols and their actual practices," the report states.
Could Have Been Prevented
– This accident and the loss of five lives could have been prevented, said Jason Neubauer, the head of the investigation, during the report's release on Tuesday.
Investigators point out that key causes of the accident were "inadequate design, certification, maintenance, and inspection processes." Additionally, there were "known hull discrepancies" that should have been addressed before the descent.
Besides Rush, the French explorer and Titanic expert Paul Henri Nargeolet, British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, also perished.
"Knew the Hull Would Fail"
In a hearing about the accident last year, the final messages sent from Titan to the surface vessel Polar Prince just before the submarine imploded were revealed.
At a depth of 2,274 meters, Titan sent the message "All good here." Then, at a depth of 3,341 meters, the crew's last message was: "Lost two weights." After that, Titan lost contact with the outside world.
During the hearing last year, David Lochridge, a former chief at Oceangate, was among those who expressed concern about Titan's carbon fiber hull. According to him, "Rush liked to do things cheaply."
– I knew the hull would fail. It's total chaos, said Lochridge.