The scientific director of the company that owns the submersible Titanwhich imploded last year as it headed toward the wreckage of the Titanictestified Thursday that the submarine malfunctioned just before the fatal dive.
Speaking to a U.S. Coast Guard panel, Dr.r Steve Ross spoke about a platform problem the experimental submersible experienced in June 2023, just days before it imploded en route to the site of the TitanicThe malfunction caused the passengers on board the submersible to “topple” and it took an hour to get them out of the water.
The submersible’s pilot, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into a bulkhead during the malfunction, Ross said.
“One passenger was hanging upside down,” he said, adding that the other two were trapped at one end of the submarine. The chief scientist said he did not know whether an assessment of the submarine’s hull Titan had been carried out after the incident.
Earlier Thursday, Renata Rojas, a mission specialist for the company, told the Coast Guard that the company was made up of capable people who wanted to “make dreams come true.”
An inquiry committee had already heard two days of testimony that raised questions about the company’s activities before the doomed mission. Mr Rush was among five people who died when the submersible imploded en route to the wreck site of the Titanic in June 2023.
M’s testimonyme Rojas struck a different tone than some of the previous witnesses, who described the company as struggling and more focused on profit than science or safety.
“I was learning a lot and working with amazing people,” M said.me Rojas. Some of these people are very hardworking people who were just trying to make their dreams come true.”
Renata Rojas also said she believed the company had been sufficiently transparent in the run-up to the plunge into the TitanicHer testimony was emotional at times, and the Coast Guard panel called a brief recess at one point so she could compose herself.
“I knew what I was doing was very risky. I never felt in danger at any time from the operation,” Renata Rojas assured during her testimony on Thursday.
The company called into question
Earlier this month, the Coast Guard opened a public hearing as part of a high-level investigation into the cause of the implosion. The public hearing began Sept. 16, and some testimony focused on problems the company faced before the deadly 2023 plunge.
Investigators also released underwater images of the wreckage of the submersible. The images show the submersible’s tail cone and other debris on the ocean floor.
During the hearing, OceanGate’s former chief operating officer, David Lochridge, testified Tuesday that he frequently clashed with Mr. Rush and believed the company was only in it to make money.
“The idea behind the whole enterprise was to make money,” Lochridge testified. “There was very little science.”
David Lochridge and other witnesses painted a picture of a company run by people eager to get the unconventionally designed craft into the water. The fatal accident has sparked a global debate about the future of private underwater exploration.
The hearing is expected to continue until Friday, with more witnesses due to come forward and resume next week.
Coast Guard officials noted at the outset of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently examined, as is standard practice. That and the unusual design of Titan subjected it to scrutiny from the underwater exploration community.
Washington state-based OceanGate suspended operations following the implosion. The company currently has no full-time employees, but was represented by an attorney during the hearing.
During the submersible’s final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after exchanging text messages about the submersible’s depth and weight. Titan during its descent. The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on his onboard display.
One of the last messages from the crew of the Titan at the Polar Prince before the submersible implosion said: “Everything is fine here,” according to a visual reconstruction shown earlier in the hearing.
When the submersible was reported missing, rescuers rushed ships, aircraft and other equipment to an area about 700 kilometres south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Four days later, the wreck of the Titan was found on the ocean floor about 300 meters from the bow of the TitanicCoast Guard officials said.
No one on board survived. Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman were the other two people killed in the implosion.
OceanGate said it has fully cooperated with the Coast Guard and Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigations from the beginning. Titan made trips to the wreck site of the Titanic since 2021.