Titan sub hearings live: OceanGate co-founder had said ‘no-one is dying under my watch’ before tragic submersible implosion

Following the incident in which the Titan’s dome fell off and a customer heard a “loud banging” noise, an engineer for the ABS would’ve conducted extensive tests to ensure the vessel was safe had it been classified.

The Titan submersible was not classified by the agency.

The engineer from the American Bureau of Shipping has prepared a slideshow presentation from the panel detailing the challenges of carbon fiber materials.

He’s said carbon fiber is not an approved material for classification. Additionally, the Titan’s hull would have been susceptible to “deformation under applied external loading.”

Currently, there are no recognized national/international standards for carbon fiber pressure hulls for submersibles.

A transcript of a meeting between Rush and the former director of marine operations for OceanGate, David Lochridge was made public by ahead of the Coast Guard’s hearing on Monday.

The discussion captures Rush stating “No-one is dying under my watch - period,” after Lochridge raised safety concerns.

Rush responded: “I have no desire to die... I think this is one of the safest things I will ever do.”

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush infamously made the Titan’s pressure hull from carbon fiber but the material is not approved by the ABS for classification. Some of the concerns with carbon fiber included its ability to fail after repeated dives.

Additionally, it’s susceptible to damage, which can also cause it to fail.

Thomas says OceanGate was not involved with the ABS, never requested classification and did not submit a design review or surveys.

To qualify for classification with the American Bureau of Shipping, submersible owners must:

1. Establish and maintain recognized technical standards

2. Check that the design of the submersible is in compliance with the standards

3. Certify material and equipment that will be incorporated into the vessel complies with standards

4. Ensure vessel is in compliance with ABS standards throughout lifetime

A senior principal engineer with the American Bureau of Shipping has been sworn in as a witness.

A senior principal engineer with the American Bureau of Shipping is scheduled to speak next. The agency is one of the few in the country that classify deep sea submersibles.

“This was not supposed to happen,” Sohnlein says during his closing remarks. “Five people should not have lost their lives.”

Despite the efforts of the investigating panel, the former OceanGate CEO says he’s not sure the public will ever know want led to the tragedy.

Still, he’d like the memories of those who died to be preserved by continuing deep ocean exploration.

“Someday in the near future, we’ll look back on this time as a major turning point in human history when the general public took an active interest in our efforts to explore the deep ocean,” he says. “If that happens, then that’s probably the most fitting tribute for the memories of these five individuals.”

After a Coast Guard official asks Sohnlein what he believes is the best way is to regulate submersibles, the co-founder says the topic is not in his “wheelhouse.”

He said dedicating resources to developing new regulations would be a “waste of taxpayer money” because there isn’t a current need. The submersible field is not an “industry,” Sohnlein said, adding there is currently at most 100 submersibles in the world.