Titanic Sub Latest: Executive Caught on Film Ignoring Loud Bang On Previous Trip
In a 2022 documentary, the deceased OceanGate exec brushes off a “really loud bang.”
Weeks after the devastating implosion of OceanGate, the private submersible that disappeared during a trip deep into the ocean to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, the world is trying to figure out what exactly went wrong. What we do know is that shortly after starting its descent down into the ocean toward the wreckage of the Titanic, the sub imploded, and all passengers on board, British businessman Hamish Harding; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son, Suleman; French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet; and Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, died immediately.
This week, footage from an old episode of a travel show was rediscovered, with Rush brushing off concerns about a technical difficulty during an expedition.
In footage from an episode of BBC's The Travel Show, Rush can be heard mentioning that a crew member heard a suspicious sound coming from the sub while on the surface of the ocean. However, he dismissed the concern.
Apparently, the crew member was concerned about a "really loud bang." While he noted that it was "not a soothing sound," he downplayed the danger, explaining that "almost every deep-sea sub makes a noise at some point."
Rush also acknowledged the dangers of the trip to crew members and passengers. "We want everyone going into this fully informed. This is an experimental sub, this is a dangerous environment," he said.
According to former OceanGate Expeditions consultant Rob McCallum, he warned Rush in 2018 of the dangers involved. He was "potentially placing yourself and your clients in a dangerous dynamic," he said. "As much as I appreciate entrepreneurship and innovation, you are potentially putting an entire industry at risk."
In the same BBC documentary, Rush confessed he "had broken some rules to make" the Titan, comparing himself to US General Douglas MacArthur.
"I'd like to be remembered as an innovator. I think it was General MacArthur who says you're remembered by the rules you break," he said.
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"I've broken some rules to make this. I think I've broken them with logic and good engineering behind me," he added.