Title: Titanic Sub Incident: OceanGate’s CEO Ignored Warnings, Claims Former Passenger
Subtitle: Karl Stanley accuses Stockton Rush of creating a “mousetrap for billionaires”
Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2023
In a shocking revelation, Karl Stanley, a former passenger of the ill-fated submersible that imploded over the wreck of the Titanic last month, has alleged that OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush, was aware that expeditions aboard the Titan craft were destined for disaster. Stanley, who survived the incident but tragically lost his friend Rush, claims that Rush continued to create a “mousetrap for billionaires.”
During an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Stanley recalled warning Rush about the dangerous nature of the carbon fiber and titanium craft. “He definitely knew it was going to end like this. He literally and figuratively went out with the biggest bang in human history that you can go out with,” Stanley said. “He was the last person to murder two billionaires at once and have them pay for the privilege.”
According to Stanley, Rush was deliberately designing a risky venture that targeted wealthy individuals. “I think Stockton was designing a mousetrap for billionaires,” he added.
Stanley, who had previously dived with Rush in the Bahamas in 2019, firmly believes that the failure of the carbon fiber tube was the cause of the Titan’s disastrous final journey. The US Coast Guard had determined that the submersible suffered a “catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.”
Photographs of the Titan’s wreckage revealed structural titanium rings at the front and rear, lending credibility to the theory that the carbon fiber tube collapsed under the extreme water pressure at that depth.
The incident is currently under investigation by the US Coast Guard, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch.
Stanley had previously expressed his concerns about suspected defects in an email to Rush following his own trip aboard the Titan. “From the intensity of the sounds, the fact that they never totally stopped at depth, and the fact that there were sounds at about 300 feet that indicated a relaxing of stored energy, would indicate that there is an area of the hull that is breaking down/getting spongy,” Stanley wrote.
However, Rush dismissed Stanley’s concerns, accusing him of making “uninformed accusations.” This ultimately fueled Rush’s determination to press forward with his ill-fated project.
The tragedy serves as a grave reminder of the risks involved in exploration endeavors. As the investigation progresses, it is hoped that lessons will be learned to prevent similar incidents in the future.