Latest news with #ShahzadaDawood
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
‘Absolutely shocking': Netflix documentary examines how the Titan sub disaster happened
If you were sentient in the summer of 2023, you probably remember the feverish speculation, vicarious horror, snap consternation and armchair sleuthing after the disappearance of the submersible called Titan during a commercial voyage to the wreck of the Titanic. The Titan sub disaster was inescapable for weeks as the story evolved from critical rescue mission – the best-case scenario being a mechanical failure deep in the North Atlantic with 96 hours of oxygen for the five passengers, which you better believe became a countdown clock on cable news – to tragic recovery operation. The sub, it turned out, had imploded at 3,300 meters beneath the surface, 90 minutes into a dive that was supposed to reach 3,800 meters deep. All five passengers – British explorer Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman, French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet and submersible owner Stockton Rush – were killed instantly. Even as the search for the sub, whose wreckage was eventually returned to land, continued in earnest, concerning reports about the safety record at OceanGate, the company which operated the vehicle, began to emerge: that a whistleblower had declared implosion of the sub's trademark carbon fiber hull a mathematical certainty years earlier. That Rush, the company's founder and CEO, pursued commercial voyages anyway, eluding any type of third-party certification. For the majority of the public, the story ended along those lines: a preventable tragedy, another sin of human hubris at arguably the most famous shrine to the folly of human hubris in history. That is not wrong; according to the new Netflix documentary Titan: The OceanGate Disaster, the sub's implosion was virtually guaranteed by its design. 'I'm convinced, based on the research and the discussions that I've had, that the submersible Titan could have imploded at any time,' said the film's director, Mark Monroe. In fact, it was 'absolutely shocking' that Titan made as many successful dives – 80 attempts, 13 to Titanic depth, between 2021 and 2022 – as it did. But for those who either worked at OceanGate, were tasked with the investigation or loved someone lost on board, the story is much more complicated, and concerning, than a design flaw. Another film would proceed through an exact timeline of Titan's final mission on 18 June, 2023; include footage of the wreckage or diagrams of its descent coordinated to text messages sent to its surface-level team; play the audio of its implosion, recorded 900 miles away by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration device; or allow viewers to see Rush's wife Wendy hear the implosion, whose sound reached its support ship, Polar Prince, before their last text message, allowing them to mistakenly assume the sub was fine. The Netflix film, made by the veteran production company Story Syndicate, doesn't do any of that, eschewing a Seconds from Disaster-type narrative and instead focusing on the nearly decade-long procession toward disaster, through numerous decisions prizing flashy ambition over safety. 'It's scarier, in a way, to understand the decision-making over the 10-year period that led to that moment,' said Monroe. 'I feel pretty strongly if the civilians' – the paying customers OceanGate called 'mission specialists' to skirt around commercial maritime safety regulations – 'had seen the decisions made along the way, they would have been a lot more reticent to get into that submersible. And I think that was not clear, or made clear, to the public.' With access to company footage, data, files and several former employees and whistleblowers, the 111-minute documentary paints a fuller picture of a company with idealistic ambition and plenty of scientific backing – at least at first. Founded outside Seattle in 2009 by Rush, an entrepreneur with a rich family and an engineering degree, OceanGate attracted talent from the fields of engineering, diving and marine exploration with its ambition to revolutionize deep sea travel for the masses. The question of how to make deep subs, usually made of very heavy titanium steel, lighter and nimbler – and thus commercially viable – was an appealing puzzle to an array of scientists, deep-sea divers and exploration enthusiasts. It's what drew David Lochridge, a highly experienced submersible pilot, to uproot his family and move to Everett, Washington, to become OceanGate's operations director. In the film, Lochridge explains that he didn't initially understand, on a technical level, OceanGate's answer to the lightweight, deep-sea sub conundrum: carbon fiber, a lightweight but high-strength composite material of tightly pack carbon threads cemented with resin, used in everything from sports cars to deluxe skis. But in time, the material's problems became clear. For one, carbon fiber had never been tested at extreme depths, and thus had no reliable safety record. And two, its integrity naturally degrades with repeated use. 'There is a fatigue aspect to carbon fiber – once you use it, it won't be as good the next time you use it, by increments,' Monroe explained. The documentary includes ample footage from OceanGate's years-long test phase, as various carbon fiber designs failed in experiments simulating high pressure. Nevertheless, Rush persisted, dismissing safety concerns from engineers on staff and continuing to insist to credulous media that commercial ventures to the Titanic were soon within reach. Lochridge and others attest to Rush's hardheaded approach, at times openly hostile to any intra-company dissent. He openly admired Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, expressing a desire to, as one employee recalled, be a 'big swinging dick'. In that vein, Rush claimed to be working with Boeing, Nasa and the University of Washington, though no formal partnerships existed. (In fact, a Boeing engineer involved in Titan's early designs emailed Rush in March 2012: 'We think you are at high risk of a significant failure at or before you reach 4,000 meters. We do not think you have any safety margin.') Rush also elected to withhold any OceanGate craft from third-party safety inspections, the industry standard for submersibles. That decision proved to be a breaking point for several employees; Lochridge was fired after he inspected Titan himself, and said in a written report to Rush that he had no confidence in the submersible. The documentary includes remarkable audio of a 2018 senior staff meeting in which Rush fires Lochridge and quashes his concerns as a discrepancy of vision – 'I don't want anybody in this company who is uncomfortable with what we're doing. We're doing weird shit here and I am definitely out of the mold. There's no question. I am doing things that are completely non-standard.' 'There is a danger in the kind of cult of personality, particularly the tech bro, 'move fast and break things,'' Monroe said. 'When other people's lives are in the balance, I think we should all take a step back and be careful about that. It's one thing to put unmanned spacecraft into space, but you're taking money to provide an expedition.' One has to wonder, given all the dissent, given the fact that the sub would produce loud cracking sounds with each descent (which Rush called, unscientifically, the carbon fiber 'seasoning' with use) – did the CEO actually believe it was safe? 'I'm not in Stockton's mind, so I don't know,' said Monroe. But he took into account Rush's public personality as a maverick, the media tailwinds in his favor. 'When you say you're going to go to Titanic in a new submersible that no one's ever done before, and the sound of your own voice resonates year after year while you're trying to figure out how to do it, I think there's a pressure that builds, that suggests 'I have to do this.'' What is clear, from numerous interviews, was that 'if you went against the boss, there were going to be repercussions.' Lochridge knows this well; after he filed a whistleblower complaint with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha), OceanGate sued him for improperly disclosing confidential information to regulators. The legal costs, and Osha's protracted investigation, forced him to withdraw his complaint, ending what could have been the one regulatory oversight on the company. OceanGate continued apace; the film lingers only briefly on the dive in 2022 which seemed to damage the sub, even according to the company's own 'real-time monitoring system'. Titan imploded on its next dive to Titanic depths a year later, after several aborted attempts due to inclement weather. Though the 'delamination' of the carbon fiber hull is the presumed cause, the US Coast Guard's official written report, including recommendations for the prevention of a similar tragedy, has yet to be publicly released. 'I don't know what those recommendations could be,' said Monroe, 'but you would think they would have to do with how to run an experimental submersible when offering it to the public.' Such as, perhaps, oversight, or a healthier sense of skepticism when the only safety assurances come from the company itself. Rush 'believed in the ethos of move fast and break things. Rules don't apply when you want to change the way things work,' said Monroe. 'That's dangerous when other people's lives are at stake. There are certain rules that do apply, like the rules of physics, the rules of science – these rules do apply to all of us.' Titan: The OceanGate Disaster is now available on Netflix
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here's the 1 Netflix Movie I Can't Wait to Watch in June 2025
Two years ago, the world was gripped by the story of the Titan submersible disaster, in which an unregulated undersea vessel was crushed during an attempt to visit the wreckage of the Titanic. Everyone on board the vessel was lost, including Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush, the pilot of the Titan and the CEO of its parent company, OceanGate. The story behind this tragic event is told in Titan: The OceanGate Disaster, a new documentary coming this month. It's also my pick for the one Netflix movie I can't wait to watch in June. These events played out in the public eye in June 2023, but the backstory of Rush and his apparent disregard for the dangers involved are part of the film's primary focus. Missing Titanic Submarine Pilot Is Married to Descendent of Shipwreck's Victims Director Mark Monroe spends a good deal of time unraveling Stockton Rush, a man whose dreams of fame were only truly achieved by his death and by the way it happened. The people who worked alongside — and for — Rush describe him as someone who wanted to be known as the next Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. He was also, by his own words, less than concerned about the safety of his company's activities. The portrait of Rush that emerges in Titan: The OceanGate Disaster isn't very flattering, as he refused all warnings and silenced all whistleblowers who tried in vain to rein him in before it was too late. In the trailer above, one of the documentary participants says that Rush was "a borderline psychopath" who was impossible to manage as the boss of his own company. He paid the price for his hubris, but he wasn't the only one. This question is explored at length in the documentary itself, but the short answer is that Rush opted to have the Titan constructed with materials that weren't meant to be used for a deep-sea submersible vessel. There's a reason why there aren't many underwater excursions to the Titanic's wreck. It's nearly 3,800 meters beneath the surface of the ocean, and that's a depth that the Titan could only reach so many times before it imploded from the pressure. James Cameron Reacts to Titan Submersible Tragedy: 'I'm Struck by the Similarity of the Titanic Disaster Itself' There are several pictures and video clips of the Titan itself in this documentary, and you may be horrified to learn that Rush and his other pilots controlled the vessel's movements with an off-the-shelf video game controller. Rush catered the Titan to wealthy tourists, but some of them were understandably horrified by how unsafe the vessel appeared to be. That response may have saved their lives. No. For the most part, the film's focus is on Rush and the creation of the Titan and the origin of OceanGate. There's always room for more documentaries about the other victims in the future, but almost everything about this event centers on Rush himself. It seems inevitable that someone will make a scripted movie about Rush in the future. For now, Titan: The OceanGate Disaster may be the definitive word on what happened. Titan: The OceanGate Disaster will stream on Netflix on June 11.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
A mosque, in memory
Atlantic Voice He lost his son and grandson in the Titan tragedy. Then he quietly paid for a new mosque for the community that helped him mourn. At an early morning Eid al-Adha prayer service, the sun shines through the stained glass windows in the Shaheed Suleman Dawood mosque, formally the Mary Queen of Peace Rossiter/CBC Caroline Hillier Jun. 10, 2025 As international media crews clustered along the St. John's harbour front in June 2023, fixated on broadcasting the Titan catastrophe to the world, there was a quiet mourning taking place in another part of the city. Two of the passengers aboard that ill-fated submersible, which imploded off the coast of Newfoundland during a descent to visit the Titanic wreck, were a father and son, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood. Their family had flown in from London. As a search for survivors became a recovery effort, they turned to the only mosque in St. John's for a funeral service. There, they prayed through their profound loss beside people they'd never met before, and found solace. 'In the Muslim community, there are no strangers,' said Hussain Dawood, the father of Shahzada and grandfather of Suleman. 'Even though you don't know them, they could be from the other side of the world, but you're one community.' The funeral sparked a lasting relationship and grew into something much larger: a long-awaited expansion for the city's growing Muslim community that many involved see as pre-destined. In 2023, the Titan submersible implosion grabbed the world's attention. But there's another side to the story you might not know about: How the family of two of the victims found solace with the St. John's Muslim community, and ended up making a generous, and much needed, gift. That's all in The Best of Planners, a documentary from Caroline Hillier. That expansion, now on the cusp of opening, is named in honour of the Titan's youngest victim, who was 19 years old: the Shaheen Suleman Dawood Mosque. Just as the funeral went mostly unnoticed, the origin story of this mosque is largely untold, despite the intense media scrutiny surrounding the Titan disaster, even two years later. Friendship from tragedy Hussain Dawood is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and a deeply religious man, who finds comfort in believing his son and grandson are both in heaven. 'My creator was so gracious to bless us with two beautiful souls and it was a gift. And it's his right to take it back,' Dawood said during a video interview with the CBC from London, U.K. Dawood often references teachings from the Quran when explaining how his Muslim faith helps him understand grief, life and loss. 'You never get to the bottom of it because it's too deep, but it's a book of wisdom,' he said. That wisdom has helped him cope with the tragedy of the Titan. The submersible, built and owned by the private company OceanGate, offered $250,000 US tours to the Titanic wreck. But it had been built out of carbon fibre, an unconventional material for such deep-sea dives. On its 14th dive to the Titanic, the Titan imploded shortly after the June 18 launch. Hussain Dawood speaks to CBC News about the aftermath of the Titan tragedy and how the world came together. All on board — including OceanGate's CEO — were killed instantly. In that, Dawood sees mercy. 'I don't think any of the five even knew what was happening. It is so instantaneous. It's too fast for the brain to process,' he said. In the Muslim faith, funerals are held shortly after death, and so it was important to the Dawoods to make arrangements as soon as possible. Hussain contacted the existing mosque in St. John's, and Syed Mansoon Pirzada. Pirzada, the longstanding president of the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador at the time, arranged the prayer and spread word through the community, but not to the media. 'He took it upon himself, and he and his very gracious wife, and they looked after us and they arranged everything,' said Dawood. 'We spent quite a bit of time with them…. we made sure that they were comfortable,' said Pirzada. 'Mr. Hussain Dawood was poised in the face of this loss, and Mrs. Dawood, her tears were non-stop flowing and it was heartbreaking to see,' said Amnah Pirzada, Syed's wife. 'We were sitting with them and talking to them and holding their hand sometimes.' Amnah remembers being touched by the funeral service. 'It was beautiful and quiet and I think they felt that peace. It gave them a bit of closure,' she said. Even after the Dawoods departed St. John's, they and the Pirzadas kept in touch. When both families find themselves in the same city — be it Dubai or Karachi — they meet up. From cross to crescent St. John's first and only mosque at the time of the funeral, Masjid Al Noor, managed to accommodate all the mourners. But that is far from the building's normal operations. The mosque was built in 1989 for the 100 or so Muslim families living in the area at the time. In the decades since, that community has grown exponentially. Now numbering more than 10,000 members, the mosque regularly overflows for Friday prayers. Worshippers use the kitchen, and sometimes the lawn, covering these extra spaces with their prayer mats. Prayers for big celebrations, like Eid, are held at sporting complexes. Fifteen years ago, the Muslim Association of Newfoundland and Labrador hatched plans for a new mosque, raising funds and even buying land. But those plans stumbled and eventually stalled due to city regulations and other setbacks. But then came a call from a real estate agent, with an unusual offer: a former Catholic church, Mary Queen of Peace, was on the market. And it might just fit their needs. The church, too, had ties to tragedy: it was initially sold off in 2022, along with other Catholic properties, to pay settlement suits for victims of the Mount Cashel orphanage. The sexual abuse of children there, at the hands of the Christian Brothers that ran it, exploded into the public eye in 1989. Legal proceedings are still working their way through the courts. After the initial sale of Mary Queen of Peace, plans to renovate it faltered, and it was this second chance at the property the association leapt on. 'We said that yes, we are interested. And then we started thinking about how much money do we have and how much funds we can collect so quickly,' said Pirzada. The Muslim association had an opportunity, but also a hurdle. Islamic law doesn't allow for loans that involve interest — like mortgages — and the association didn't have enough money to buy the building outright. images expandThe Muslim community in St. John's is diverse, made up of people from Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and other countries around the world. Now friends, Pirzada told Hussain Dawood about the potential purchase, and complication, over a phone call. '[Pirzada] said that there is a church available, we have a limited time frame and he looked quite worried that they would lose this opportunity,' said Dawood, who is from one of richest families in Pakistan. Dawood offered to pay for the church. 'If this is what we can do to show our gratefulness for all that you've done… we'll happily participate,' Dawood said. 'That's what we did. So I just sent him the money.' Pirzada and the association were shocked about the generous donation. The sale went through in December 2024, for nearly $2.2 million. 'This was a gift from — not only a huge gift from Mr. Hussain Dawood's family — but also, I believe, that it was a gift from God to our community,' said Pirzada. Pillars of the faith Charity isn't just encouraged in Islam; it's mandatory. Hussain Dawood said his donation to the St. John's Muslim community was simply in line with the Quran. 'I did them no favour,' said Dawood. 'It's just working with the community for hopefully the betterment of all members of the community. And I consider it is their graciousness that they're giving my grandson's name to the mosque." As charity is a pillar of Islam, so too is the belief of destiny — signifying that everything is predetermined by God's knowledge and will. Though the failed attempts at building a new mosque through the years were frustrating, Pirzada believes that this church was destined to be a mosque. 'That's what we believe, that there's one plan which a person makes, or a human being makes. But there is another plan which is made by Allah, or God, and he is the best of the planners,' said Pirzada. Open for Eid After church pews had been lugged out and carpets rolled up, the Shaheed Suleman Mosque opened its doors for the first time on March 30, for Eid al Fitr, the celebration following the holy month of Ramadan. Over the course of two services, nearly 7,000 people come through the doors — where the cross handles have been replaced with Arabic calligraphy — to pray, and many offer extra prayers for the Dawood family and their loss. 'Yes, we are all destined to die. But sometimes our deaths can facilitate, can pave a ground for other people to become hopeful,' said Ayse Sule Akinturk, an executive member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Muslim Association. 'On the one hand, two souls are lost, you know, in such a tragic event. And then that sense of loss becomes a sense of hope for the entire community here.' The cross on top of the building has been replaced with a crescent moon. The former confession booth is now an audio-visual room, with new security system screens. Some history will live on, however, with a space dedicated to display parts of the building's Catholic past. 'Never in my wildest dreams' While the mosque reopened for Eid al Adha prayers on June 6, it remains under renovation and is not yet being used for daily prayers. The new space will also offer education and religious programs, to be named for Shahzada Dawood. And for the official opening of the Shaheed Suleman Mosque, there are celebration plans in the works to involve both local Muslim and non-Muslim communities. 'It's going to bring forth something very beautiful, with every prayer, whoever is going to attend the prayer, rewards will be sent to the entire family,' said Amnah Pirzada. There will also be a special invitation to that opening sent to the Dawoods. 'I would never in my wildest dreams have thought of going to St. John's and meeting such wonderful people over there,' said Hussain Dawood. That encounter has left its mark: with the mosque, and with him. 'Life is not black and white and it's not a straight line. It's full of complexities.' Credits Audio documentary produced by Caroline Hillier with help from Lindsay Bird and Liz Hoath. Photography by Mike Rossiter. Copy editing by Lindsay Bird and Mike Moore. Video produced by Stephanie Kinsella and edited by Katie Breen. Layout by Katie Rowe. About the Author Footer Links My Account Profile CBC Gem Newsletters Connect with CBC Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Mobile RSS Podcasts Contact CBC Submit Feedback Help Centre Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6 Toll-free (Canada only): 1-866-306-4636 TTY/Teletype writer: 1-866-220-6045 About CBC Corporate Info Sitemap Reuse & Permission Terms of Use Privacy Jobs Our Unions Independent Producers Political Ads Registry AdChoices Services Ombudsman Public Appearances Commercial Services CBC Shop Doing Business with Us Renting Facilities Accessibility It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. About CBC Accessibility Accessibility Feedback © 2025 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved. Visitez
The Sun
26-05-2025
- The Sun
Doomed Titan submarine boss Stockton Rush was ‘psychopath' who ‘wanted fame' & it was a ‘certainty' vessel would implode
THE BOSS of the doomed Titan submarine has been labelled a "psychopath" who was desperate for fame by ex-OceanGate employees. Stockton Rush, 61, who died in the June 2023 disaster, had accused those who tried to raise safety concerns on the doomed sub of trying to stop innovation. 10 10 10 10 10 Brit Hamish Harding, 58, father and son duo Shahzada, 48, and Suleman Dawood, 19, and French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, also sadly died in the horror incident. A frantic search that captured the world's attention was sparked after contact was lost with the sub. While there was hope that the passengers might be found alive, it was later confirmed the vessel had imploded - killing all on board. A new bombshell Netflix documentary has revealed the events that unfolded in the run-up to the tragic 2023 incident, with those who knew the expedition company and its billionaire boss Rush sharing inside information on OceanGate. In 2018, OceanGate's then chief pilot David Lochridge was fired after his inspection report laid bare a series of safety risks. He has said that he believed Rush "wanted fame" to "fuel his ego". And a former engineering director at the firm Tony Nissen described the CEO as being "a borderline psychopath". Another ex-colleague to Rush, Bonnie Carl, also revealed a bizarre interaction she had with the OceanGate boss as she worked as a human resources and finance director at the firm. She recalled her reaction after Rush randomly announced she would be the company's next sub pilot. Carl said: "Are you nuts? I'm an accountant." 'What's that bang?' Chilling moment sound of doomed Titan sub imploding heard from support ship And despite there apparently being "no way of knowing" when the Titan would fail, there was "a mathematical certainty" that it would happen, another interviewee said. Rob McCallum, who has led seven dives to the Titanic, told The Sun last June that the tragedy was "unavoidable" as OceanGate received repeated warnings their sub wasn't safe. Titan was never certified or classed, and McCallum implored Rush to let an independent agency test his vessel. McCallum said the businessman refused to listen, however, and simply brushed aside warnings. He told The Sun: "I run an expedition company that had delivered over 1,500 expeditions - we are not cavalier, we manage risk as far as we can. "So when OceanGate say things like exploration involves risk, yes it does, but that doesn't give you carte blanche to ignore obvious danger." Rush accused those trying to raise safety concerns of trying to stop innovation. 10 10 10 10 10 The engineer, who co-founded OceanGate in 2009, created Titan with an experimental design made up of a carbon-fiber pod with titanium rings bolted on. McCallum, who founded expedition company EYOS, said carbon fiber material is not fit for submerging so deep underwater. But McCallum's warning that carbon fiber would not withstand such pressure, Rush informed him he was "going to carry on regardless". "He had a counter view, he figured he was being innovative," McCallum added. Rush had previously taken the sub down to sea off the Bahamas during testing four years earlier. Just days ago, a haunting video was obtained by the BBC and presented to the US Coast Guard's Marine Board of Investigation. It shows Wendy Rush – wife of Rush – staring at a computer used to receive messages from the Titan when a deep metallic thud rings out. Wendy, visibly startled, freezes before glancing up and asking the crew: 'What was that bang?' Seconds later, a message arrives from the sub: 'dropped two wts' – a reference to the Titan shedding weights to control its dive. But the timing of the message was tragically misleading. According to investigators, the sub had already imploded. The sound reached the surface faster than the delayed text, giving the false impression all was well. All five people onboard were killed instantly when the vessel collapsed under immense pressure at a depth of around 3,300m – just 90 minutes into the £195,000-a-head journey. Meanwhile, earlier this year, a 20-second audio clip recorded 900 miles from the implosion site emerged, capturing what experts believe was the actual moment the Titan was crushed. The eerie recording revealed the 'acoustic signature' of the vessel's final seconds. Rescue hopes were initially high when Titan vanished from sonar on June 18, 2023. But days later, its shattered remains were discovered scattered across the ocean floor – an area the size of six football pitches. How the Titan tragedy unfolded By Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) FIVE men plunged beneath the surface of the North Atlantic in a homemade sub in a bid to explore the Titanic wreckage. Four passengers paid £195,000 each to go on the sub, with the fifth member of the trip being a crew member. But what was supposed to be a short trip spiralled into days of agony as the doomed Titan vanished without a trace on June 18, 2023. The daring mission had been months in the making - and almost didn't happen at the hands of harsh weather conditions in Newfoundland, Canada. In a now chilling Facebook post, passenger Hamish Harding wrote: "Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. "A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow." It would be his final Facebook post. The following morning, he and four others - led by Stockton Rush - began the 12,5000ft descent towards the bottom of the Atlantic. But as it made its way down into the depths, the vessel lost all contact with its mother ship on the surface, the Polar Prince. It sparked a frantic four-day search for signs of life, with the hunt gripping the entire world. There was hope that by some miracle, the crew was alive and desperately waiting to be saved. But that sparked fears rescue teams faced a race against time as the passengers only had a 96-hour oxygen supply when they set out, which would be quickly dwindling. Then, when audio of banging sounds was detected under the water, it inspired hope that the victims were trapped and signalling to be rescued. It heartbreakingly turned out that the banging noises were likely either ocean noises or from other search ships, the US Navy determined. Countries around the world deployed their resources to aid the search, and within days the Odysseus remote-operated vehicle (ROV) was sent down to where the ghostly wreck of the Titanic sits. The plan was for the ROV to hook onto the sub and bring it up 10,000ft, where it would meet another ROV before heading to the surface. But any hopes of a phenomenal rescue were dashed when Odysseus came across a piece of debris from the sub around 1,600ft from the Titanic. The rescue mission tragically turned into a salvage task, and the heartbroken families of those on board were told the devastating news. It was confirmed by the US Coast Guard that the sub had suffered a "catastrophic implosion".
NZ Herald
24-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Wife of OceanGate CEO heard bang before Titan sub tragedy unfolded
Rush was joined by Hamish Harding, a British explorer, Henri Nargeolet, a French diver, and Shahzada Dawood, the British-Pakistan businessman who took his son, Suleman, on a visit to the Titanic wreck in June 2023. The vessel disappeared on June 18 while about 3800m below the surface of the Atlantic. A four-day search for life ensued, with the eventual discovery of a debris field containing parts of the Titan found about 500m from the bow of the liner. The sub had suffered a 'catastrophic implosion', instantly killing all those on board. The footage of Rush, who ran OceanGate with her husband, was recently obtained by the US Coast Guard, which has been investigating the sub's failure for two years. It shows her on board the Titan's support ship, sitting in front of a computer used to communicate with the sub. The clip was shown in Implosion: The Titanic Sub Disaster, a BBC documentary, which also revealed the carbon fibre used to build the vessel had started to break down the year before the June 2023 expedition. Warnings about the safety of Titan's design were raised before the dive. A former OceanGate employee said a safety incident was inevitable, telling investigators the company had bypassed all standard safety rules. Titan never went through an independent safety assessment, despite concerns over the carbon fibre used to build the hull. The US Coast Guard believes the carbon fibre layers began to break down during a previous expedition – the 80th such dive the sub had made. Passengers on that dive said they heard a loud bang, which Rush put down to the sub shifting its frame. But the US Coast Guard now believes it would have been caused by delamination, which involves a material breaking down into thinner layers. Following the sub's implosion, its wreckage was scattered across the seabed of the Atlantic, as was Rush's clothing and business cards. Christine Dawood, who lost her husband Shahzada Dawood and 19-year-old son Suleman, told the BBC: 'I don't think that anybody who goes through loss and such a trauma can ever be the same.' An OceanGate spokesman said: 'We again offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who died on June 18 2023, and to all those impacted by the tragic accident. 'Since the tragedy occurred, OceanGate permanently wound down its operations and focused its resources on fully co-operating with the investigations. It would be inappropriate to respond further while we await the agencies' reports.'
