Eerie joke made by CEO of Titan sub before the fatal disaster resurfaces
There was an eerie joke made by the CEO of the Titan sub before the fatal disaster happened.
In a resurfaced clip, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush made a joke about diving down to see the Titanic on his submersible that is now chilling to rewatch.
Previously unseen videos and audio were released as part of a new documentary by ITN, called The Titan Sub Disaster: Minute by Minute.
Advert
In the show, they showed a snippet from an appearance made by Rush on a radio show where he discussed his upcoming trip to the ship wreck.
At the time, there was already concern over the design of the submersible potentially not being safe.
There were emails sent from a former employee, David Lochridge, where he expressed his concerns, writing: “I don’t want to be seen as a tattle tale but I’m so worried he kills himself and others in the quest to boost his ego.
“I would consider myself pretty ballsy when it comes to doing things that are dangerous, but that sub is an accident waiting to happen.
“There’s no way on earth you could have paid me to dive the thing.”
The verdict came just days after Lochridge had reportedly inspected the submersible and found a plethora of concerns.
He had sent his concerns to OceanGate project associate Rob McCallum, though both had left the company due to safety concerns by the time of the Titan's ill-fated dive.
A few months before the Titan sub disaster, Rush had been speaking on Canadian radio station St John's Radio when he joked: “What could go wrong?”
A little over four months later contact would be lost with the Titan sub while he was on board, resulting in the deaths of Rush and four other people on board following a ‘catastrophic implosion’.
A timeline of the Titan submersible disaster:
OceanGate's Titan submersible begins its descent
On 18 June, 2023, OceanGate Expedition's 21-foot submersible, named Titan, submerged at 8am E.T and began its tour to the wreckage of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Five people were onboard the vessel with a 96-hour oxygen supply.
Who was onboard the Titan?
Onboard the vessel was OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, British-Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his 19-year-old son Suleman.
The Titan loses contact with support vessel
The Polar Prince loses contact with the Titan around one hour and 45 minutes into its descent.
A few hours after the submersible was supposed to resurface, the US Coast Guard received a report of an overdue submersible.
Search operation is launched
The US Coast Guard launch a large-scale operation on 19 June, 2023, when the vessel fails to resurface or make contact almost 24 hours on.
'Banging noises' are detected
Two days on from the Titan's disappearance on 21 June, 2023, sonar crews taking part in the search pick up 'banging noises', giving false hope that the passengers are still alive.
The Titan's oxygen supply 'runs out'
At 1pm E.T on 22 June, 2023, the submersible's 96-hour oxygen supply is predicted to have run out, cementing fears for the crew onboard.
A 'debris field' is discovered, leading to the realization of a 'catastrophic implosion'
The US Coast Guard confirms the Titan was destroyed by a ‘catastrophic implosion’ - a result of both enormous water pressure and failed materials - with the loss of all five people aboard.