The co-founder of OceanGate expressed his desire for the Titan sub incident not to signify the closure of deep-sea exploration.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, and father-son duo Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, along with Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet, tragically lost their lives when the Titan submersible collapsed during its descent in June of the previous year.
Guillermo Sohnlein was instrumental in establishing OceanGate alongside Mr. Rush back in 2009, but he departed the firm in 2013.
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How Titan submersible tragedy unfolded
During a public hearing conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard on the ill-fated voyage this past Monday, Mr. Sohnlein voiced his aspiration that the occurrence would not dampen enthusiasm for deep-sea exploration.
“This cannot signify the conclusion of deep ocean exploration,” he stated. “It cannot be the termination of deep-diving submersibles, and I have faith it will not be.”
In defense of the organization, he clarified that OceanGate aimed to establish a series of four to five deep-diving submersibles, each capable of transporting five individuals to depths of 6,000 meters.
Mr. Sohnlein explained that carbon fiber was utilized to achieve a material that was both lightweight and cost-effective, which did not require being connected to a particular support vessel.
He contended that this concept was “not unprecedented” and remarked that “previous explorations have evaluated it as well.”
He rejected claims that he or Mr. Rush were motivated by tourism or the allure of exploring the Titanic, even in light of prior testimony from ex-operations director David Lochridge, who stated during the hearing: “The central aim of the company was to generate profit“.
Further information:
What occurred with the Titan?
The Titan sub completed its final descent to the Titanic wreck on 18 June 2023, with all five passengers on board perishing in an implosion.
The Titan sub made its last descent to the Titanic wreck on 18 June 2023, losing communication with the Polar Prince support vessel approximately two hours afterward.
Search and rescue teams mobilized ships, aircraft, and other resources to an area located around 435 miles (700 km) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.
The operation to locate the Titan captured worldwide attention, and the wreck was eventually detected on the ocean bed roughly 300 meters from the Titanic, as per officials.
Discover more on Sky News:
The narratives of those aboard the Titan submersible
Titan’s last communication: ‘All good here’
The hearing in Charleston County, South Carolina, is anticipated to run until 27 September, having already revealed that the Titan sub encountered numerous malfunctions.
Fred Hagen, who had paid for a dive on the Titan in 2021, remarked that “the only action it could undertake was rotating in circles, performing right turns” during an outing.
Steven Ross, OceanGate’s scientific director, informed the panel that a platform problem earlier in June 2023 resulted in passengers “tumbling about” and left one hanging “upside down.” The sub imploded days thereafter.
