(This article has been updated to include additional information.)

The hearing into the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible will continue on Thursday, featuring testimony from the sub’s former scientific director and a Mexican diver who fulfilled her lifelong dream during a prior Titanic visit.

The submersible, which aimed to explore the Titanic wreck, tragically imploded two miles underwater on June 18, 2023. Its debris was located about 330 yards from the Titanic itself. Unfortunately, all five individuals on board—including OceanGate Expeditions founder Stockton Rush, the pilot, a British billionaire, a French explorer, a Pakistani businessman, and his son—lost their lives.

On Monday, the Coast Guard initiated a two-week series of public hearings in North Charleston, South Carolina, to investigate what led to this disaster.

Recent Updates:

◾ The Coast Guard revealed during the hearing that one of the crew’s last messages was, “All good here.”

◾ Jane Shvets, OceanGate’s legal counsel, expressed profound condolences to the victims’ families and emphasized the hearing’s potential to clarify the tragedy’s causes.

◾ No testimonies were scheduled for Wednesday. The hearings will resume on Thursday and can be viewed live on the U.S. Coast Guard channel.

Steven Ross Testifies: Doubt Cast on Titan’s Safety

Steven Ross, the former scientific director at OceanGate, is set to give his testimony next. Previously, David Lochridge, OceanGate’s ex-operations director, expressed that his safety concerns regarding Titan were dismissed by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials. Lochridge stated he eventually withdrew his complaint after not seeing any investigation from OSHA after 10 months.

Another former employee, the engineering director Tony Nissen, reported that Stockton Rush aggressively prioritized budget and timeliness, making collaboration challenging. Nissen highlighted issues he noticed in the hull design of the Titan, particularly cracks in the carbon fiber structure observed during dives in 2018 and 2019, claiming he lost his job in 2019 for speaking out about safety issues.

In a statement to YSL News, OceanGate clarified that Nissen’s claims were regarding a prototype hull that was never deployed on Titanic missions and was not used after 2019. The company confirmed that a new carbon fiber hull was developed post-Nissen’s departure in 2019, which was subsequently used for the Titanic expeditions.

Additionally, witness Tym Catterson, a former contractor for OceanGate, mentioned it wasn’t the carbon fiber that was the issue but rather the adhesive that experienced cyclic fatigue, causing minor collapses in the hull structure with each dive—insufficient to be immediately visible.

Rush notably chose not to have Titan certified by any international maritime organizations, arguing that its innovative features didn’t conform to existing standards. He also claimed the company couldn’t adapt rapidly if they were bound by lengthy approval processes.

Renata Rojas: A Dream Fulfilled

Bonnie Carl, former HR and finance director at OceanGate, reported that Lochridge warned potential client Renata Rojas about the safety of Titan before her trip in 2022. Rojas, a Mexican diver who aspired to visit the Titanic wreck since childhood, spent 30 years saving for the $250,000 ticket, finally fulfilling her dream aboard the Titan in 2022.

She shared with the BBC, “I’m not wealthy. I made numerous sacrifices to make it to the Titanic. I don’t have a car, I’m not married, and don’t yet have kids. All these choices were made to achieve my dream of going to the Titanic.”

Rojas expressed emotional joy the moment the Titanic wreck came into view, recalling, “It was incredible to witness such proximity to the wreckage. The Titanic is no longer a myth for me; it’s a true reality, right there before my eyes.”

The Fate of OceanGate

Following the disaster, OceanGate announced on its website just two weeks later that it had suspended all exploration and commercial operations. Its office in Everett, Washington, was closed. The company, founded in 2008, saw its business license expire on June 7, according to records from the Washington Department of Revenue. Additionally, the OceanGate Foundation, a nonprofit research branch of the company, established in 2010, also ceased operations in 2023, as indicated by Washington state records.

Records from the Department of Revenue.

OceanGate Inc., which had a subsidiary called OceanGate Expeditions, operated from the same office location. As per Washington state records, this subsidiary ceased operations on March 31, 2021.

Representing OceanGate during the hearing are Jane Shvets and Adrianna Finger from the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

What happened to the Titan?

The Titan embarked on its journey at 8 a.m. on June 18, 2023, approximately 435 miles off the Newfoundland coast, with the trip anticipated to last eight hours. However, about an hour and 45 minutes later, communications with Titan were lost by the support ship. By 3 p.m., the Titan still had not resurfaced, prompting an intense search and rescue mission that captured global attention for four days.

On board the submersible were Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Inc.; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 73, a renowned French deep-sea adventurer; Hamish Harding, 58, a British pilot and explorer; and Pakistani-British businessman Shahzada Dawood, accompanied by his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood.

It wasn’t until June 22 at 11:48 a.m. that the U.S. Coast Guard revealed a debris field’s location. It is believed that the vessel experienced a “catastrophic implosion,” and OceanGate confirmed that all passengers aboard the Titan had perished.

Who is investigating the Titan implosion?

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, in collaboration with the French Marine Casualty Investigation Authority, is partnering with the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board to perform simultaneous safety investigations into the incident.

French officials are engaged in the investigation due to the presence of Nargeolet, a French citizen, among the deceased. Canadian authorities are involved as well because the Titan submersible was brought to the dive location by the Canadian-flagged support ship, Polar Prince, which departed from Newfoundland.

The hearings held by the U.S. Coast Guard, which commenced on Monday, are scrutinizing the known safety features and structural integrity of the Titan vessel.

The Titanic also brought tragedy

The Titanic captured widespread interest when it launched in 1912, being the largest and most luxurious cruise ship of its era. Tragically, the ship struck an iceberg on April 15 of that year and sank rapidly, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 people, with around 700 passengers rescued. The wreck was located on September 1, 1985, nearly 400 miles from the Newfoundland coast.

Numerous books have been written about the Titanic, and James Cameron’s movie “Titanic,” released in 1997, remains one of the highest-grossing films in history.