Stockton Rush pictured inside the Titan submersible in 2018.Photo:Becky Kagan Schott
Becky Kagan Schott
A series of photos show OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush testing the submersible that killedhim and four other crew members.
On Thursday,pieces of debrisfrom theTitanwere found 1,600 feet from the bow of theTitanic,thedestination of the excursion. The pieces of the vessel were consistent with the “catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber." Allfive peopleon board would have been killed in theimplosion.
Stockton Rush inside the Titan submersible in 2018.Becky Kagan Schott
On Sunday, the submersible began itsvoyageto the wreckage site of the sunkenTitanicship. Less than two hours into the excursion, theylost contact with the control shipguiding them, prompting arescue mission.
Passengers likely did not have time toreact to an implosion, according to journalist Josh Dean, who has written extensively about deep sea exploration — including OceanGate Expeditions and Rush — and is the husband of PEOPLE contributor Gillian Telling.
“It’s a deeply tragic, terrible thing,” Dean told PEOPLE. “I’ve often heard it described as happening faster than the brain can process what’s happening.”
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The location of theTitan’s wreckage was “consistent with the location of last communication for an implosion” in the water, Paul Hankins, the U.S. Navy’s director of salvage operations and ocean engineering, said at Thursday’s press conference.
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“I think one of the issues that keeps coming up is everyone keeps equating certification with safety and are ignoring the 14 years of development of theTitansub,“Söhnlein told BBC Radio 4’sTodayshowon Friday. “It was very robust and certainly led through successful science expeditions to theTitaniceven over the last three years.”
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“That was the first indication that there was a catastrophic event,” Hankins explained. Crews also found a second, smaller debris field in which they found the other end of the pressure hull, he added.
Dean told PEOPLE that the passengers’ “only chance” of survival was if theTitanhad dumped its ballast and risen back to the surface.
“I think rescue was never honestly an option,” he added.
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In a statement released after the tragic news was shared, the Explorers Club mourned the loss of the five men.
“Our hearts are broken. I am so sorry to have to share this tragic news. Our friends and fellow Explorers Club membersHamish HardingandPaul-Henri Nargeoletare lost, along with Stockton Rush,Shahzada Dawoodand hisson Suleman, while trying to reach the RMS Titanic,” read a statement from President Richard Garriott de Cayeux.
“Hamish Harding is a dear friend to me personally and to The Explorers Club. He holds several world records and has continued to push dragons off maps both in person and through supporting expeditions and worthy causes. Paul-Henri was elected to the Club in 2001 and was one of the foremost experts on submersible expeditions to the Titanic. They were both drawn to explore, like so many of us, and did so in the name of meaningful science for the betterment of mankind,” the president added.
“While we did not know Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman personally, their desire to explore as a family would have led them to our doorstep at some point in their futures, where we would have welcomed them,” the statement continued. “We’re heartbroken for the families, friends and colleagues of those who were lost. Their memories will be a blessing and will continue to inspire us in the name of science and exploration.”
source: people.com
