A tourist submarine operator, who claims to have been a friend of Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush, said the Titan submersible was a “mousetrap for billionaires”, Indy100 reports.
• Read also: Submersible Titan: victims had time to understand their fate, says expert
The OceanGate submersible imploded during a dive to the sinking of the Titanic last month. Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman all lost their lives.
According to a new investigation by 60 Minutes Australia, Carl Stanley, who describes himself as a friend of Rush, had previously warned him of the risks.
Stanley, who was also one of the first to go on a Titan test dive in 2019, told Indy100 he previously raised concerns about the craft with his friend.
• Read also: Submarine disappeared near the Titanic: a Quebecer had nevertheless sounded the alarm in 2018
“I would say every three to four minutes he [y avait] loud noises resembling gunshots,” he said in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia. “It’s a hell of a noise to hear when you’re that far under the ocean. And [dans] a craft that has only been shot down once before.”
AFP
Stanley says he’s expressed concerns about the craft’s carbon fiber hull, as well as Rush’s lack of experience, Indy100 reports.
• Read also: Titan implosion: Security was a ‘key element’ of OceanGate, argues co-founder
“I literally pictured his wrecked submarine at the bottom [de l’océan] and even that wasn’t enough,” Stanley said.