The U.S. Coast Guard has initiated an investigation to uncover more details about the accident.
On June 18, 2023, a tragedy changed the luxury marine travel and expeditions industry forever. That day, the Titan submersible, owned by OceanGate Expeditions, imploded during a descent to visit the wreck of the Titanic, killing five tourists. The incident led to increased scrutiny of the company’s safety practices and the private underwater exploration industry as a whole. A hearing is currently underway, where new details, including the latest messages from passengers, have been disclosed.
First witness. Tony Nissen, a former engineering manager of OceanGate, was the first person to testify. He mentioned that he experienced significant pressure to ensure the submarine’s success. However, he clarified that he didn’t believe the tests had been rushed. Nissen also said that it was a “difficult question to answer” because “given infinite time and infinite budget, you could do infinite testing.”
He later explained that the submersible was struck by lightning during a test in the Bahamas in 2018, which may have compromised the hull. According to his testimony, Nissen was fired in 2019 because he didn’t sign off on an expedition that year due to his concerns about the submarine’s integrity.
Additionally, The New York Times reports that the company experienced 70 outfitting issues in 2021 and 48 in 2022.
Final messages. The hearing has also revealed the last messages sent by the Titan’s passengers, which indicate that they were unaware of the impending danger. The Coast Guard presented a visual recreation of the Titan’s voyage (see video below), showing that the crew sent a message to their support vessel, the Polar Prince, saying, “All good here.” The message was sent at around 10:15 a.m. local time in Newfoundland, Canada, on June 18, 2023, shortly before losing contact.
Moments before this final message, the Polar Prince had sent several messages to the Titan over a 12-minute period, inquiring if they could see the support ship on their screen, but didn’t receive a response. When the Titan finally responded about four minutes later, the Polar Prince sent the message, “I need better comms from you.” The Titan replied, “Yes.” According to the Coast Guard, the Titan lost contact with the Polar Prince at 10:47 a.m. local time.
Safety under the spotlight. During her recent testimony, OceanGate’s former chief financial officer, Bonnie Carl, expressed “major concerns” about the Titan’s equipment. She left the company after receiving criticism for the lax safety standards of the submersibles. It’s important to note that Stockton Rush, the founder of OceanGate, was one of the five people who died during last year’s implosion, and most of the public criticism has been directed at him.
During the hearing, investigators revealed that the Titan was stored outdoors in harsh cold conditions during the winter prior to the implosion, which may have contributed to the tragedy.
It was avoidable. David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of operations and a key employee, once called the doomed experimental submersible unsafe before its last fatal voyage. During the hearing, he testified that the tragedy could’ve been avoided if a federal safety agency had investigated his complaint before the fatal expedition. He said, “I believe that if OSHA had attempted to investigate the seriousness of the concerns I raised on multiple occasions, this tragedy may have been prevented.”
Lochridge also said, “As a seafarer, I feel deeply disappointed by the system that is meant to protect not only seafarers but the general public as well.” During his testimony, he explained that eight months after he filed the complaint, a caseworker told him that the agency had not yet begun investigating it and that there were 11 cases ahead of his.
By then, OceanGate was suing Lochridge and he had filed a counterclaim. Ten months after filing the complaint, he decided to withdraw it. The case was closed, and both claims were dismissed.
In search of the truth. Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard Office of Investigations expressed his condolences: “There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident.” He added, “But we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again.”
The Coast Guard is conducting the investigation under the direction of the Marine Board of Investigation. The hearings, which began on Monday, are expected to last at least two weeks.
Image | OceanGate
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