They were heading to the Titanic wreckage: Final messages from those who died in the OceanGate submersible before the disaster revealed

The Titan, a submersible operated by the company OceanGate that was heading toward the Titanic wreckage, went missing in international waters in the North Atlantic Ocean on June 18, 2023. Following search efforts, it was determined that the submersible had suffered an implosion, resulting in the deaths of 5 people, including the company's CEO, Stockton Rush.

The hearing process regarding the implosion, which is expected to last two weeks, has begun. According to a report by Buse Yılmaz from Gerçek Gündem, the first image of the submersible resting on the ocean floor was shared on the first day of the hearing. The US Coast Guard, which also presented an animation, reported that the crew on the Titan had communicated via text messages with personnel on the support ship named Polar Prince.

THEY SAID 'ALL GOOD HERE'

It was learned that the crew lost contact after exchanging messages about the depth of the submersible. Upon this, the Polar Prince sent messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its screen. The final response from the Titan, which became unclear as it descended, was "All good here."

Coast Guard representatives stated that the submersible's hull had not been inspected by any third party, as is standard procedure. Tony Nissen, the former engineering director of OceanGate and the first witness at the hearing, stated that during his time at the company, he felt they were in a rush to begin operations. When asked if there was pressure to launch the Titan, he replied, "Absolutely, 100 percent."

The maritime board also asked Nissen whether he thought the pressure from OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush compromised safety decisions and testing. Nissen, speaking after a long pause, replied, "No... that's a hard question to answer, because you can do infinite testing if you have infinite time and infinite budget."

HE WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED THE VESSEL TO GO TO THE TITANIC

Nissen also stated that the Titan was struck by lightning during a test mission in 2018, which he said might have compromised its hull. Nissen said he was fired in 2019 and that he would not have allowed the submersible to go to the Titanic that same year. He noted that he had told Rush that the Titan was “not working as we thought it would.”

The former engineering manager reported that the submersible later underwent other tests and adjustments before the dives to the Titanic. However, he stated that he did not trust the operations personnel and that when Rush asked him to pilot the submersible, he said, "I'm not getting in it."

WHAT HAPPENED?

The Titan submersible did not resurface after losing contact with its mother ship, the Polar Prince, on the morning of June 18, 2023. On board the submersible were Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman.

News Source: 12punto