Titan sub hearing live: OceanGate volunteer said nobody was concerned until sub ‘was really overdue’ from dive
The testimony is part of the days-long hearings as authorities investigate the Titan sub disaster that captivated the globe
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A tearful mission specialist recounted collecting personal belongings from the victims of the OceanGate sub before it dove under the water and found tragedy.
Renata Rojas, the mission specialist from the US submersible company that operated the expedition, tearfully addressed the US Coast Guard Titan Marine Board of Investigations panel on Thursday. She talked about her role in preparing missions and her own trips down to the Titanic wreckage.
Once Rojas was finished, former OceanGate scientific director Dr Steven Ross spoke about a frightening mission that left him and other passengers at the surface unable to get out of the Titan submersible.
“The rest of the passengers tumbled about,” he said. “I ended up standing on the rear bulkhead. One passenger was hanging upside down.”
They were just two of the witnesses who have testified to the panel investigating the “catastrophic implosion” of the Titan submersible that killed all five passengers.
Earlier this week, David Lochridge, a former OceanGate employee, stated he had “no confidence whatsoever” with the Titan’s construction.
“It was inevitable something was going to happen. It was just a [question of] when,” the whistleblower said.
Catterson said he had ‘doubts’ — and voiced them
“I had my doubts,” Catterson said about the carbon fiber hull.
“I think that when you put it under compression, they can buckle, they can shift, they can move all these directions three-directionally,” he added.
When aksed if he had voiced his concerns about the hull to any OceanGate employees, Catterson said he told Stockton Rush, Tony Nissen, the first witness today who is an engineer, and David Lochridge, who was terminated shortly after detailing his concerns with the Titan’s design in an inspection report.
WATCH: Titan crew's final three-word text revealed in haunting animation of submersible's journey
In photos: Key moments from the hearings so far
Watch: Coast Guard releases footage that provided ‘conclusive evidence’ that Titan passengers died
Hearing has concluded for the day
The US Coast Guard’s hearing on the Titanic submersible tragedy has concluded for the day and will resume at 8.30am on Friday.
Former scientific director says OceanGate CEO thought Titan would be good for ‘indefinite’ dives
Steven Ross says that he once asked Stockton Rush how long the Titan would be good for until it needed refurbishments. Typically, subs need to be refurbished after a certain number of dives because of the pressures at deep levels.
But, Rush told Ross he thought his design would be good for “indefinite” trips to the Titanic wreckage.
Steven Ross is avoiding making direct answers
Testimony from the former scientific director is vague. He is avoiding giving direct answers to questions presented to him by the panel.
Ross describing a dive that was aborted in June 2023
During one dive Ross was on, the platform malfunctioned.
Five people were inside the Titan and the seas were not calm. It took an hour to let those on board get out of the water.
“There’s nothing to hold onto inside the submersible really. It’s a fairly smooth tube,” he said.
“The pilot crashed into the rear bulkhead. The rest of the passengers tumbled about. I ended up standing on the rear bulkhead. One passenger was hanging upside down. The other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap.”
He spoke to Stockton Rush about the issue, but could not recall OceanGate conducting an assessment of the Titan hull after the incident.
Steven Ross says he aware of a theory about a ‘loud noise’ during dive
During one OceanGate dive, the crew heard a “loud noise” that the crew speculated came from the shifting of the pressure steel its metal cradle when it popped back into place.
Ross says OceanGate had “multiple agendas”
During most of his scientific career, the focus on expeditions primarily focused on science, but Ross says OceanGate had “multiple agendas,” notably going to see the Titanic shipwreck.
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