The Titanic foundation is reviewing claims made by OceanGates’ CEO about the safety of the doomed submersible.
Stockton Rush, who is one of the five men who died on the Titan, has been described as ‘cavalier’ by the president of the Titanic foundation.
Jessica Sanders, who heads up RMS Titanic Inc, is reviewing if the organization should have let Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who spearheaded the foundation, on the vessel at all.
Rush told potential passengers that the submersible was ‘way safer than flying in a helicopter or even scuba diving,’ or even ‘crossing the street.’
Sanders says the foundation is now probing past records for OceanGate and questioning the truth of Rush’s statements, according to the New York Post.
CEO Stockton Rush made several claims to French Navy Veteran PH Nargeolet about the safety of the submersible
PH Nargeolet, 71, was an expert on the Titanic’s wreckage and worked with a company which has recovered thousands of artifacts from the site
She said: ‘We have now our own internal questions about the representations OceanGate made that we made the basis on giving PH the OK to go.
‘We’re going back and looking at that now ourselves internally, because there were representations not only made to us, but made to the court, that now we have to go back and verify because of these stories that are coming up that question them.’
Nargeolet, 77, was also killed when the submersible imploded during a trip to the Titanic – 12,500ft below the Atlantic Ocean.
He had completed dozens of trips to the wreck and was seen referred to as ‘Mr Titanic’ because of his research on the shipwreck.
Rush had a maverick approach to undersea exploration that earned comparisons with visionaries like Elon Musk.
He idolized Star Trek protagonist Captain Kirk and bragged about ‘breaking rules’ to build the Titan vessel.
But his methods – which are feared to have contributed to the tragedy – were a major red flag for experts in the field of deep-sea exploration, including two who parted ways with OceanGate amid their concerns.
Dozens of industry leaders and explorers also warned Rush in 2018 the company’s ‘experimental’ approach could prove ‘catastrophic’.
Jessica Sanders (pictured) who heads up RMS Titanic Inc, is reviewing if the organization should have let Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who spearheaded the foundation, on the vessel at all
Nargeolet, 77, (left) was also killed when the submersible imploded during a trip to the Titanic – 12,500ft below the Atlantic Ocean
Canadian police are considering whether ‘criminal, federal, or provincial laws’ were broken in the lead up to the Titan submersible disaster
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will examine ‘the circumstances that led to the deaths’ of the five crew on board the sub and decide ‘whether or not a full investigation is warranted’
That year, he fought back and said he was ‘tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation’.
He appeared resentful of the ‘obscenely safe’ regulations that he viewed as an obstacle to development.
Nargeolot, who said his aim was always ‘education and preservation’, joined the doomed expedition as a ‘guest of OCeanGate’.
He serves as a director of underwater research at the RMS Titanic Inc, with Sanders adding that they approved the trip after careful consideration.
She said: ‘He approached us initially and said, ‘OceanGate is doing these expeditions … is there a conflict?’
OceanGate’s website still includes pages advertising trips to the Titanic – 11 days after five people, including the company CEO, were killed on one of the journeys.
Titan, operated by OceanGate, was on a journey to Titanic’s wreckage when it imploded
Five people were onboard Titan, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who was just 19
Titan was tourist submarine which imploded on a journey to the Titanic’s wreckage, 12,500ft below the Atlantic Ocean
A page titled ‘Titan Expedition – Explore the Titanic’ was still available on Thursday which offered a chance to dive to the shipwreck in the company’s submersible.
The page also lists renowned French explorer PH Nargeolet, who perished on board the Titan, as an expert ‘who may join you on [the] expedition’.
Canadian police are considering whether ‘criminal, federal, or provincial laws’ were broken in the lead up to the Titan submersible disaster.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police will examine ‘the circumstances that led to the deaths’ of the five crew on board the sub and decide ‘whether or not a full investigation is warranted’.
Their investigation was ongoing on Thursday, a day after it emerged human remains were found during the recovery mission and segments of the vessel were brought ashore.
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