The U.S. Coast Guard Titan sub report has released its final report. This is about the Titan submersible disaster. The report blames OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush. This is for several errors that led to the deadly implosion in June 2023. This implosion resulted in the deaths of five people. Also, the report is 335 pages long. Continue reading to know all about the U.S. Coast Guard Report on the Titan submarine disaster.
Aftermath of the Incident and Number of Deaths
The submarine imploded on a deep-sea trip. U.S. Coast Guard Titan sub report This trip was to the Titanic wreck. Five people lost their lives on this trip. They were Stockton Rush, who was OceanGate’s founder, French explorer Paul Henri Nargeolet, and British businessman Hamish Harding. The other two were Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman Dawood. The investigation was led by Rush. The investigators reported that there would be murder charges reported to the Department of Justice had he survived.
Also read: Trump and Putin to Meet for Ukraine Peace Talks
Key Findings about Rush
The findings concluded that Rush was warned several times about the shortcomings of the company. This was about how dangerous the sub was. However, he ignored the warnings and even threatened officers who raised concerns. Moreover, the report indicates that he created a false sense of safety. It was done by misrepresenting TITAN’s safety. Thus, he apparently claimed large safety margins and misled testing personnel about the procedures. Moreover, he exaggerated the number of hull test drives.
Investigators labelled OceanGate’s safety culture as misleading. Also, they found substantial gaps between written safety rules and actual practices. The reports indicate that they used loopholes to avoid regulatory oversight. Then, they even branded paying passengers as “mission specialists” to evade rules.
Design, Testing and Maintenance Failures
The submarine’s design, certification, maintenance, and inspection were defined as inaccurate. Also, the failure was attributed to the loss of structural integrity in its pressure hull. Moreover, the causes include insufficient design and testing. There was no systematic analysis conducted on the carbon fibre hull. Along with this, there was over-dependence on OceanGate’s real-time monitoring system. This was to judge the hull condition. They continued the use of the submarine long after. This was even after the incidents that damaged its integrity.
Additionally, the submarine was placed after its last dive in 2022. It was done in a manner that was not safe for a carbon fibre hull. Also, it was left in an unprotected environment for almost seven months.
Storage and Prior Incidents
The hull’s storage conditions were identified as a risk. Along with this, a key engineer testified that the carbon fibre hull required a controlled environment. Moreover, the thruster controls malfunctioned in 2022. It triggered the vessel to spin at Titanic depth. However, the pilot managed to correct it. Nevertheless, a loud clamor was heard during a descent. The hull’s strain response had changed in later drives, according to reports.
Toxic Corporate Practices and Whistleblower Issues
The Coast Guard’s investigations showed a significant pattern of safety signs being ignored. There was concealment and neglect around matters at OceanGate. David Lochridge was the former director of marine operations. He testified as a whistleblower in this matter. Also, he testified that he had cautioned about the vessel’s carbon fibre hull. He cautioned that the hull would fail. However, he mentioned that OceanGate was preoccupied with the money rather than the safety of people. Along with this, he mentioned that Rush liked to cut costs for the operations.
The whistleblower also mentioned being fired in 2018. He had submitted a detailed report about the shortcomings of the vessel and the company’s entire setup. Also, he later filed a safety complaint with OSHA. The Coast Guard mentioned that OSHA did not follow up on his complaint. This could have halted the vessel’s testing altogether.
Also read: Brewers Walk-off Win Wisconsin Flooding in Mets Clash
Key Recommendations
The report calls for new regulatory rules at both the international and national levels. This is required for groups building or operating a new watercraft or submersible. Also, the investigation reported the need for oversight when companies engage in new concepts outside existing safety protocols. Along with this, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting its own separate investigation. This is supposed to release a separate report on the incident in a few months.
