STORY: “All good here” was the terrifying last message the Titan submersible sent to the surface last year before it imploded, killing five people on board as they dived to the wreckage of the Titanic.
It was among details revealed in US Coast Guard hearings that began Monday in Charleston, South Carolina.
They aim to reveal what led to the disaster on June 18, 2023.
OceanGate Expeditions founder Stockton Rush was piloting the 22-foot submersible when the craft imploded, killing him and four other passengers: a British billionaire, a French explorer, as well as a Pakistani-born businessman and his son.
It also raised questions about the unregulated nature of such expeditions and OceanGate’s decision to forgo third-party industry review and certification of Titan’s new design.
Testimony from former employees Monday included stories of safety issues, poorly trained staff and negligence by Rush.
“Would you have felt comfortable as Chief Engineer going down into Titan’s submersible waters, specifically hole one to full rated depth?”
“That’s almost the best question here, isn’t it?”
Former OceanGate Engineering Director, Tony Nissen, described having a “sour” relationship with Stockton Rush.
“I told him I’m not getting into it. And he said, ‘Why? And I said, ‘Because the operating staff, I don’t trust them.’
“But I didn’t trust Stockton either. Look at where we started when I was hired, but nothing I got was the truth. I was held with a bag trying to save him and I couldn’t stop.”
Another employee, former OceanGate Human Resources and Finance Director Bonnie Carl, was skeptical of the business:
“I want to point out that there were some young engineers, and I mean late teens, twenties, with no experience that we were aware of, turning the submarine and without direct supervision of them. And that made me nervous. I know I don’t know what I do…”
The deaths in the Titan incident were the first in more than 60 years of civilian deep-sea sinking, according to industry experts.
The hearings will continue for two weeks.
According to Jason Neubauer, chairman of the Marine Board of Investigation, any wrongdoing or neglect uncovered in the hearing will be reported to the Department of Justice, but the main focus is to make sure it doesn’t happen again.