The submersible that imploded during its descent toward the wreckage of the Titanic last year, killing all five crew members instantly, had broken down just six days before that final, fateful dive, OceanGate's former scientific director testified Thursday.
Steven Ross, a marine scientist and crew member who participated in Titan's 87th dive in 2023, said a malfunction occurred during that dive, causing all five people on board to “roll” for at least an hour before crashing into the stern of the ship. CNN reported:.
The dive, piloted by OceanGate's late co-founder Stockton Rush, was aborted after a malfunction in the variable ballast tanks that control the submersible's buoyancy caused the platform to flip 45 degrees and the rear of the submersible to shift upward.
“The Rush hit the aft bulkhead, the remaining passengers rolled around, I was standing on the aft bulkhead, one passenger was hanging upside down and the other two had somehow wedged themselves into the bow end cap,” Ross told the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Investigation Board.
Ross told passengers what he believed to have been the problem and after spending a significant amount of time trying to resolve the issue, he decided to surface to try and fix the problem.
The former employee added that he did not know whether the Titan's hull was inspected for damage following the failed dive on June 12, six days before the fatal plunge and about 460 miles from the Titanic's sinking site.
He acknowledged that he knew the Titan submersible had not been inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2021, 2022 or 2023.
According to CNN, Ross also recalled two incidents that happened during dives on the 2022 Titanic Expedition, including a loud “explosion” he heard while surfacing on Dive 80.
“There was some discussion among the crew, mission specialists and scientists about the explosion, and one theory was that it may have been the pressure shell moving within its metal cradle and then returning to its original position, making a loud noise,” Ross said.
Then, on its 81st dive, the craft's thrusters failed, Ross said.
His confession came to light during a U.S. Coast Guard investigation, which is set to hear two weeks' worth of evidence into the Titan submersible disaster.
Since the disaster, widespread allegations of negligence have come to light, including failure to take proper safety precautions in his aircraft and business.
Rush and four others – adventurer Hamish Harding, Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Narjolet, billionaire Shazada Daoud and her teenage son Suleiman Daoud – died when the submersible was destroyed by enormous water pressure on June 18, 2023.
Four days later, the wreckage of the wrecked Titan was discovered on the ocean floor about 330 yards from the Titanic's bow, according to Coast Guard officials.
Tony Nissen, Ocean Gate's lead engineer on the deadly mission, said Monday that his boss often clashed with Mr. Rush, who he said put unreasonable pressure on his team to get the high-tech underwater vehicle up and running.
On Tuesday, David Lockridge, former president of Ocean Gate's marine division, detailed “horrific” flaws in the original model of the sunken Titan submersible.
“The company was just trying to make money. There was very little science involved,” Lockridge said.
The USCG is scheduled to continue hearings Friday and into next week.
