In a report by Sky News, it was revealed that a close friend of OceanGate CEO, Stockton Rush, who passed away last month in the Titan submersible when it imploded while en route to the Titanic remains, has come forward with startling claims. According to Karl Stanley, who spoke to 60 Minutes Australia, Rush was well aware that the trips could end in disaster, yet he continued to develop what he called a “mousetrap for billionaires.”
During the interview, Stanley expressed his concerns about the safety of the carbon fiber and titanium craft, which he believed to be perilous. “He definitely knew it was going to end like this,” said Stanley, emphasizing that Rush’s pursuit was to create an unparalleled experience for the wealthy.
Recalling a test dive he had taken with Rush in the Bahamas back in 2019, Stanley shared his distressing experience. The constant loud, gunshot-like noises every few minutes were deeply unsettling, and he strongly believed that the failure of the carbon fiber hull caused the tragic implosion of the Titan.
According to Stanley, he repeatedly warned Rush about the potential risks of the carbon fibre hull, but his concerns seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. “I literally painted a picture of his wrecked sub at the bottom, and even that isn’t enough. He was risking his life and his customers’ lives to go down in history,” Stanley lamented during the interview.
Experts are said to have recovered presumed human remains from the remains of the Titan sub, marking the end of a difficult search-and-recovery operation. The tragic accident claimed the lives of British explorer Hamish Harding, French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman, and OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush.
The recovery of the debris field, found on the seafloor 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic, situated more than two miles below the ocean’s surface and 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, adds to the somber nature of this incident.