Titan Ocean Submersible tragedy that killed Scots student 'could have been prevented'
The catastrophic Titan sub disaster that killed a Scottish student could have been avoided, a damning US Coast Guard investigation has found.
Suleman Dawood, 19, had just completed his first year at the University of Strathclyde's business school in Glasgow when he joined his dad, Shahzada Dawood, on the doomed expedition to visit the Titanic wreck in June 2023.
But the voyage ended in horror when the Titan submersible imploded deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean, killing all five passengers, including Suleman and his father, British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
In a searing 300 page report, the Coast Guard concluded that negligence by Rush "contributed to the deaths" of four individuals" and the chief executive may have been accused of 'misconduct or neglect of ship officers' had he survived the incident.
The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison in the US.
Investigators uncovered a "disturbing pattern of misrepresentation and reckless disregard for safety" at OceanGate, the Washington-based company behind the trip, and said Rush's leadership created a "toxic workplace environment" where staff were silenced by the threat of being fired if they raised safety concerns.
The firm's former director of engineering likened the sub's early hull to a "high school project," while a contractor who warned of major design flaws was told he didn't have the right "cowboy mindset".
The report blasted OceanGate's repeated use of the Titan vessel despite known flaws, a lack of inspection, and damage to the hull, including exposure to freezing Canadian temperatures before the fatal dive.
Rush, who was both CEO and pilot of the Titan, bypassed regulations by reclassifying tourists as "mission specialists", to bypass regulations on small passenger vessels and claim its subs were oceanic research vessels.
Former mission specialists and OceanGate employees said their participation was "purely for a ride in the submersible, not for scientific research," the report said.
Suleman's death sent shockwaves through Glasgow, where the student had just finished his first year. Friends described him as "committed, emotionally wise and loved."
The Titan lost contact with its support ship on June 18, 2023, about 435 miles south of St John's, Newfoundland. Days later, wreckage was found near the Titanic wreck, confirming the passengers had died in a devastating implosion just hours into the voyage.
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OceanGate was slammed for storing the Titan outside during winter, exposing its vessel to dangerous temperatures that compromised its structural integrity.
The report found that vital inspections and safety data were ignored, and Rush may have submitted fraudulent documents to the US Coast Guard to get the green light for dives.
Following the report's release, the grieving Dawood family issued a statement, saying: "No report can alter the heartbreaking outcome, nor fill the immeasurable void left by two cherished members of our family.
"We believe that accountability and regulatory change must follow such a catastrophic failure.
"If Shahzada and Suleman's legacy can be a catalyst for regulatory change that helps prevent such a loss from ever happening again, it will bring us some measure of peace."
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