OceanGate Expeditions ceases operations after Titanic sub implosion killed five
The company previously offered expeditions that cost $250,000 to join
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.OceanGate Expeditions, the company that launched the doomed Titan submersible trip to the wreckage of the Titanic earlier this summer, has ceased operations.
Five people, including the company’s CEO, Stockton Rush, died when the carbon-fibre submersible imploded due to the extreme pressures of the deep ocean.
Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French deep-sea explorer and Titanic historian; British billionaire businessman Hamish Harding; Pakistani-British billionaire businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, were all killed alongside Rush in the submarine.
A small message in the top-left corner of OceanGate’s website in red explains that the company has ceased its operations.
“OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations,” the message says. The Independent has reached out to OceanGate for comment.
Prior to its closure, OceanGate was offering a pair of expeditions to interested clients with deep pockets; the first was the doomed Titanic expedition, with spaces starting from $250,000 (£196,000).
The second was an excursion to the Azores to explore thermal vents. The price was the same although the trip lasted for half as long as its Titanic-focused counterpart.
The company has come under intense public scrutiny in the wake of the disastrous research trip, with much of the attention focused on Rush’s attitude towards safety and innovation.
A former OceanGate employee, David Lochridge, was reportedly fired shortly after he insisted the Titan submersible required more, unmanned testing before it could be considered safe for commercial expeditions.
After his firing, Mr Lochridge reportedly emailed his associate at the company Rob McCallum – who also left over safety concerns – to share his worry that Rush would get himself and others killed in a quest to satiate his “ego.”
“I don’t want to be seen as a Tattle tale but I’m so worried he kills himself and others in the quest to boost his ego,” Mr Lochridge said in the email, according to The New Yorker.
He went on to say that the sub is an “accident waiting to happen” and conceded that no amount of money would have convinced him “to dive the thing”.
Search and rescue teams worked to recover the wreckage of the Titan submarine and the remains of its passengers in the weeks since the implosion.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments