The tragic implosion of the OceanGate submarine that killed five people has shed new light on the company and its past practices. The incident resulted in the death of the vessel’s pilot, Stockton Rush, who was also the CEO of OceanGate.
A resurfaced interview clip from 2021 shows Rush stating that he had “broken some rules” in order to enable expeditions to the Titanic. As he told vlogger Alan Estrada, “I’d like to be remembered as an innovator. ‘You’re remembered for the rules you break,’ said General [Douglas] MacArthur, and I’ve broken some rules to make this. I think I’ve broken them with logic and good engineering behind me.”
Rush’s admission has drawn attention to the vessel’s design and the materials used in its construction. “The carbon fiber and titanium – there’s a rule you don’t do that,” he explained, adding, “Well, I did.” The CEO saw these choices as entrepreneurial.
Will Kohnen, chairman of the Manned Underwater Vehicles Committee of the Marine Technology Society, pointed out that no one had used carbon fiber for such depth before, noting its unpredictable behavior under extreme pressure, contrasting with the more familiar behavior of metallic hulls.
Rush had acknowledged the immense underwater pressure the vessel would face and even the deformation of a 7-inch-thick acrylic plexiglass window, but he insisted that these factors were taken into account in the design.
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Rush had big plans for the vessel. He dreamed of making it a sophisticated piece of technology that could respond to voice commands and function like an elevator to the ocean’s depths. However, problems arose when the sub lost communication at about 3,280 feet on a trip with Alan Estrada.
David Pogue from CBS News, who had traveled on the submersible, recalled his discussion with Rush about the vessel’s perceived lack of sophistication. He was assured that the important parts – the carbon fiber cylinder and titanium end caps – were “buttoned down.”
However, several warnings about the vessel’s safety had been raised. A professional trade group in 2018 warned of potential “catastrophic” outcomes due to the Titan’s design. An OceanGate employee also raised safety concerns, was subsequently fired.
Rush claimed that the Titan was developed with inputs from NASA, the University of Washington, and Boeing. However, the University of Washington clarified that their assistance was limited to a different submersible, the CYCLOPS. Boeing also distanced itself, stating that they were not involved in the design or build of the Titan.
Despite the scrutiny on Rush’s choices, David Pogue reminded critics that Rush was a “Princeton-educated aerospace engineer,” who had successfully designed planes and previous submersibles, with the Titan having made 20 uneventful trips to the seabed. Pogue concluded, “Yes, it looks terrible now. Yes, we see things that were missed. But nobody thought anything at the time.”
