Friend Of OceanGate CEO Claims Submersible Titan Was 'A Deadly Trap' In Explosive Interview

In an interview with "60 Minutes Australia," Karl Stanley, a close friend of Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate and operator of the Titan sub, compared the vessel to a "mouse trap for billionaires" and accused Rush of prioritizing his own fame over the lives of his affluent passengers.

Stanley, who himself had ridden on the Titan during a test-run in the Bahamas in 2019, suggested that Rush was willing to risk the lives of his passengers in order to go down in history. When asked if Rush had a "death wish," Stanley responded, "The only question is, 'When?' He was risking his life and his customers' lives to go down in history. He's more famous now than anything else he would've done."

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During the interview, Stanley pointed to the fatal flaw of the Titan, stating, "There's no doubt in my mind that it was the carbon fiber tube that was the mechanical part that failed." He even claimed to have heard the part cracking during a test dive in 2019. Stanley recalled hearing "loud, gunshot-like noises...every three to four minutes" during the descent to a depth of 12,000 feet.

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July 20, 2023

Concerned about the safety of the sub, Stanley sent Rush a series of heated calls and emails, warning him about the potential hull failure. However, his concerns were dismissed. "I literally painted a picture of his wrecked sub at the bottom [of the ocean] and even that wasn't enough," Stanley revealed.

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A video animation of the Titan's "catastrophic implosion" posted on YouTube further supported Stanley's claims. The animation showed that the sub's carbon fiber structure crumbled under the immense water pressure, resulting in the tragic deaths of all five passengers.

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This is not the first time Rush has been accused of recklessly leading a fatal voyage. Patrick Lahey, the President of Triton Submarines and a friend of one of the deceased passengers, accused Rush of being on a "predatory" hunt for wealthy clientele. Jay Bloom, who had considered booking a seat on the Titan but backed out due to safety concerns, claimed that Rush was primarily interested in financing his scientific observation of the Titanic's decay rather than building a tourism business.

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OceanGate, the deep-sea exploration company behind the ill-fated voyage, charged $250,000 per seat on the Titan. However, in the wake of the tragedy and reports of shoddy construction, the company's website has gone dark, and its digital footprint has been scrubbed from the internet.

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The implications of this tragedy are far-reaching. It raises questions about the responsibility of companies like OceanGate to prioritize passenger safety over personal ambitions. It also highlights the need for stricter regulations and oversight in the field of deep-sea exploration. As investigations into the incident continue, it is crucial that the truth behind the Titan's implosion is uncovered and that justice is served for the lives lost in this avoidable tragedy.