Titan sub hearings live: OceanGate did not request Coast Guard inspection of Titan vessel, inspector testifies
The final hearing on OceanGate, CEO Stockton Rush and the doomed Titan submersible will begin Friday
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
OceanGate never requested the Coast Guard inspect the Titan submersible, according to John Winters, master marine inspector with the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound.
Winters testified on Thursday before the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation as part of their inquiry into the doomed Titan submersible, which imploded last summer, killing all five people on board.
Winters also claimed Former OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush also complained to him inspector about Coast Guard regulations.
“He did express on multiple occasions that regulations were stifling his innovation process,” Winters testified. The inspector also said OceanGate “never attempted to circumvent any regulations,” despite Rush’s complaints.
Mark Negley, an engineer with Boeing, also testified on Thursday morning.
Negley said Boeing only worked with OceanGate during short periods. The company did a “brief” feasibility study from 2012 to 2013, he said, before doing two acoustic studies in 2016. Their last communication was in March 2020, Negley testified, when Boeing declined to respond to OceanGate’s request for a proposal.
Negley once sent Rush his safety analysis of Titan’s hull, WIRED reports, warning that there would be a “high risk of significant failure” if the contraption went to the depth of the Titanic wreckage.
Shock photo shows how Titan submersible fell apart two years before implosion
OceanGate’s Titan submarine relied on ‘idiotic’ Excel spreadsheet
Final messages revealed from the Titan sub before tragic implosion
Were warning signs ignored? Things to know about this week's testimony on the Titan sub disaster
An engineer testified the Titan sub’s hull showed signs of ‘delamination.' What does that mean?
Much of the Titan sub’s hull showed signs of “delamination,” Dr. Don Kramer, an engineer with the National Transportation Safety Board, testified on Wednesday, citing wreckage from the 2023 implosion.
Delamination occurs when the layers of the hull begin to separate. Layers of carbon fiber were laminated, or bonded together, to create the sub’s hull.
Kramer’s testimony was accompnaied by haunting new photos of the Titan sub wreckage.
OceanGate CEO didn’t understand the word ‘no,’ engineer testified
William Kohnen, CEO of Hydrospace Group Inc. and chairman of the Manned Underwater Vehicles Committee said OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was not open to criticism when he testified on Wednesday.
“I don’t think many people ever told Stockton, ‘no.’ Don’t think he understood that concept very much,” Kohnen said.
Rush’s long-time friend, Karl Stanley, also testified on Tuesday that the former OceanGate CEO seemed “scared” while on board his Titan sub in 2019.
Final witness of the day to testify
William Kohnen with Hydrospace Group Inc. has ended his testimony.
The final witness today is Bart Kemper, principal engineer of Kemper Engineering. His testimony is set to begin any moment.
ICYMI: OceanGate’s Titan submarine relied on ‘idiotic’ Excel spreadsheet
OceanGate used a hand-typed Excel spreadsheet to track its ill-fated Titan submersible, according to a former contractor for the firm.
A hearing into OceanGate’s Titan sub, which imploded during an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic last year, revealed that its navigation system allegedly relied on team members manually inputting the coordinate data into a spreadsheet in order to track the vessel.
The incident last July killed all five people on board, including OceanGate’s CEO and co-founder Stockton Rush.
Read more:
OceanGate’s submarine relied on ‘idiotic’ Excel spreadsheet
Former employees tell hearing into sub’s implosion last year that they raised safety concerns
Recap: Titan sub carbon fiber hull may have been flawed, engineer said
Dr. Don Kramer, an engineer with the National Transportation Safety Board, testified earlier today that the Titan sub’s carbon fiber hull showed signs of flaws.
William Kohnen, chairman of the Manned Underwater Vehicles Committee, also noted that former OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was not open to criticism.
“I don’t think many people ever told Stockton no,” Kohnen said. “Don’t think he understood that concept very much.”
“This is not something where we don’t want you to do it,” he added. “We want you to do it right.”
Hearing resumes with testimony from William Kohnen
The hearing has resumed.
William Kohnen with Hydrospace Group Inc. will continue testifying before the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation.
Hearing adjourns for lunch
The Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation hearing has adjourned for lunch.
Testimony will resume at 1:40 p.m. EDT.
ICYMI: Watch as long-time friend of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush testifies that Titan sub explosion was ‘expected’
Were warning signs ignored? Things to know about this week's testimony on the Titan sub disaster
As testimony continues today, check out a recap of the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation’s work so far and what witnesses have said in recent days:
Were warning signs ignored? Things to know about this week's testimony on the Titan sub disaster
Last year, five people hoping to view the Titanic wreckage died when their submersible imploded in the Atlantic Ocean
Chairman of the Manned Underwater Vehicles Committee testifies
William Kohnen with Hydrospace Group Inc. is now testifying before the Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation.
Kohnen is also the chairman of the Manned Underwater Vehicles Committee.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments