Report gives new details on OceanGate Titan submersible disaster

Following a two-year investigation, the US Coast Guard released a 335-page report this week on the 2023 OceanGate Titan sub implosion that killed five people, including CEO Stockton Rush. The report concluded that the disaster was preventable, noting that the company cut so many corners and skirted countless safety protocols that it would have led to a criminal investigation into Rush if he were still alive.

The Coast Guard found that, from the start, the submersible’s design was flawed and used questionable materials.

Some other red flags:

• Rush refused to put the sub through a voluntary certification process, saying it would stifle innovation.
• OceanGate’s former director of marine operations was fired days after reporting concerns about the sub’s carbon fiber hull in 2018.
• The sub’s passengers were classified as “mission specialists” to avoid small passenger vessel regulations.
• OceanGate attempted to train sub pilots in a single day.
• The vessel was stored in an outdoor parking lot in Canada over the winter to save money.

That’s not all. The report details the company’s toxic work environment, which included firing and threatening to fire staffers for raising safety issues.