Public Hearings Scheduled on Mysterious Submersible Incident

Will the U.S. Coast Guard’s hearings on the tragic Titan submersible implosion unveil crucial insights or leave us with more questions?

At a Glance

Karl Stanley testifies about the 2023 Titan submersible implosion that killed five people.
Details emerge about a 2019 dive where cracking noises suggested a defect in the sub’s hull.
Former OceanGate employees express concerns about safety and financial issues.
The investigation seeks to provide transparency and accountability for future expeditions.

Hearings Commence After Titan Submersible Tragedy

Starting at 8:30 a.m. ET on September 25, the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation will hold public hearings to delve into the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible. These sessions aim to shed light on the incident’s specifics, identifying possible causes and contributing factors. Experts, witnesses, and involved parties will give testimonies, scrutinize evidence, and discuss necessary safety measures.

During the first public hearing, Karl Stanley, owner of the Roatan Institute of Deepsea Exploration, recounted his experience during one of the first crewed dives of the Titan prototype in April 2019. The dive reached a depth of 3,760 meters, during which Stanley reported hearing cracking sounds. He suspected a defect in the carbon-fiber hull, describing the noises as “amplified” with depth, likely a carbon fiber band breaking.

Stanley raised these concerns to Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s co-founder and CEO, but felt his warnings were not taken seriously. He learned about a crack in the submersible’s hull a month after the dive from a Wired article. “Stanley described the noises as ‘amplified’ the deeper they descended, and he speculated that the cracking sound was a carbon fiber band breaking.”

The US Coast Guard began hearings into the undersea implosion of a tourist submersible that killed all five people aboard in June 2023 while diving to the century-old wreck of the Titanic pic.twitter.com/9K1W3d5urD

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 17, 2024

Further Concerns and Emotional Recollections

Amber Bay, a former OceanGate director of administration, also testified, emotionally remembering the explorers who died in the implosion. She noted there were no concerns about the age of one of the victims, a teenager, prior to the dive. Bay described the mission specialists as fully aware of the risks involved in deep-sea exploration.

Bay also testified about the financial difficulties OceanGate faced at the beginning of 2023, which led to employees deferring their paychecks.

In the same hearing, details about internal safety concerns were revealed. An engineering director was fired in 2019 after stopping a Titanic dive due to safety issues. Employees testified about problems with the acrylic dome and lack of transparency regarding its paperwork. Additionally, the Titan had a history of equipment problems, with 70 issues in 2021 and 48 in 2022.

LIVE: The U.S. Coast Guard's hearing on the Titan submersible implosion is getting underway in Charleston County.https://t.co/osQ20WovTd

— WCBD News 2 | Count on 2 (@WCBD) September 16, 2024

Toward Transparency and Accountability

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation is conducting a two-week testimony to determine what went wrong during the June 2023 mission to the Titanic shipwreck. OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush was among those who perished in the tragedy. “All good here,” was the last message sent by the crew shortly before the vessel imploded. The hearings aim to uncover the truth behind this incident and ensure future safety standards are upheld.

Former employees detailed a series of troubling issues, contributing to the implosion tragedy. Less than four weeks before the fatal mission, the Titan was tested and found “partially sunk” after a night of high seas and fog. Days before the implosion, the Titan’s occupants were slammed against its wall during resurfacing. These hearings are expected to provide the necessary clarity to prevent future marine disasters.