Titan sub only reached Titanic depth 14% of time, waiver said
The “experimental” OceanGate submersible that imploded last month on its way to the Titanic had only reached the 12,500-foot depth of the famed shipwreck on 14% of its attempts.
The troubling success rate was reportedly spelled out in the company’s four-page passenger liability waiver, which had to be signed by all four of the passengers that were killed aboard the sub along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
The waiver, which was reviewed by the news outlet Insider over the weekend, described the tourist vessel as “experimental” three times and said it successfully completed “as few as 13 dives” out of 90 to the famed site in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The document also reportedly mentioned “death” three times on its first page, warning that guests could be subjected to “extreme pressure,” “unpredictable” conditions and high-pressure gasses and high-voltage electrical systems.
OceanGate said on its archived website that it had completed more than 14 expeditions and 200 dives in the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico using two subs — and first had successfully reached the Titanic in 2021, according to the outlet.
The Titan imploded June 18, instantly killing Rush, 61, French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, prominent Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood.
The well-heeled tourists had paid $250,000 for the opportunity to glimpse at the the “unsinkable ship” in the 22-foot long vessel which Rush steered with a $30 video game controller.
The company has announced that it has suspended all exploratory and commercial operations in the wake of the disaster and amid intense criticism at Rush for what some perceive as lax attitudes about safety that may have contributed to the accident.
Among them was David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, who said he found “a lack of non-destructive testing performed on the hull of the Titan.”
He was fired after raising his concerns, according to a lawsuit.
The Marine Technology Society later sent a letter on to OceanGate, warning that its experimental designs and refusal to follow industry-accepted safety protocols could lead to “catastrophic” results.
Deep-sea expert Rob McCallum also voiced his concerns about Titan’s system running on Bluetooth.
“Every sub in the world has hardwired controls for a reason — that if the signal drops out, you’re not f–ked,” McCallum told the New Yorker.
He jumped ship on working with Rush after the CEO refused to have the Titan marine-certified.
The sub’s hull had to be rebuilt after tests in 2020 showed that its original carbon fiber structure was showing signs of “cyclic fatigue,” decreasing its depth rating to far less than what was needed to reach the Titanic, Tech Crunch reported.
Rush himself made chilling comments about the sub’s structure and safety during an interview with Mexican travel blogger Alan Estrada.
“I think it was Gen. [Douglas] MacArthur who said ‘You’re remembered for the rules you break’,” he said. “You know I’ve broken some rules to make this [the Titan]. I think I’ve broken them with logic and good engineering behind me.”
