The submersible that exploded while descending to the Titanic wreck last year – killing all five aboard instantly – was damaged just six days before its final dive, a former OceanGate scientific director said Thursday.
Steven Ross, a marine scientist and crew member Titan's 87th dive in 2023said a malfunction during the dive caused all five people on board to “keep rolling” and were trapped in the rear of the craft for at least an hour. CNN reported,
The dive, piloted by OceanGate’s late co-founder Stockton Rush, was aborted because of a problem with the variable ballast tank – which controls the submarine’s buoyancy – which caused the platform to invert 45 degrees, sending the rear of the craft facing upward.
Ross told the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Investigation Board that Rush “hit the rear bulkhead, the rest of the passengers rolled around, I was left standing on the rear bulkhead, one passenger was hanging upside down, the other two were somehow trapped in the forward portion.”
Ross told the passengers what he thought was wrong, and after spending a lot of time trying to fix the problem, they decided to go up to the surface to fix it.
The former employee said he did not know if the Titan's hull was ever inspected for damage after the failed dive, which occurred on June 12 — six days before the fatal plunge and about 460 miles from the Titanic site.
He admitted that he was aware the Titan submarine had not been inspected by the United States Coast Guard in 2021, 2022, or 2023.
Ross also recalled two incidents that occurred during the 2022 Titanic expedition, including a loud “bang” he heard while surfacing on Dive 80, according to CNN.
“There was discussion about the explosion with the crew, mission specialists and scientists,” Ross testified. “The theory for the sound was that there had possibly been a shift of the pressure hull in the metal cradle, which would have made the loud noise when it came back into place.”
Then on Dive 81, Ross said the spacecraft's thrusters had malfunctioned.
His statements came to light during a US Coast Guard investigation that will hear evidence for two weeks about the Titan submarine accident.
Since the accident, widespread reports have emerged regarding Rush's alleged negligence, including taking safety shortcuts both in connection with the spacecraft and his business.
Rush and four others – adventurer Hamish Harding, Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeollet and millionaire Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman Dawood – were killed When the heavy water pressure destroyed the submarine on June 18, 2023.
Four days later, the Titanic's mangled remains were found on the ocean floor about 330 yards from the bow of the ship, Coast Guard officials said.
Tony Nissen, OceanGate's lead engineer for this deadly mission, said, said on monday He often clashed with Rush whenever his boss recklessly pressured his team to commission a high-tech underwater vehicle.
On Tuesday, David Lockridge, OceanGate's former director of marine operations, said… Detailed description of “catastrophic” defects With the original model of the destroyer Titan submarine.
“The whole idea of the company was to make money. There was very little science involved,” Lockridge said.
The USCG will continue its hearings Friday through next week.
