Startling Titan revelation: 'OceanGate CEO wasn't interested in tourism, only used passengers to fund his obsession'

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush is now being accused of using passengers to fund his Titanic obsession.

The CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, who launched extreme tourism adventure which ended up taking his life along with 4 others is being single-handely held responsible for the devastating tragedy. Not only did Rush knowingly took civilians on an uncertified submersible to the extreme depths of the North Atlantic, but he also disregarded established safety protocols that have long ensured the safety of manned submersible exploration.

OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush(AP)

What was Stockton Rush objective in launching OceanGate?

A startling revelation by Las Vegas financier Jay Bloom, who was approached by Rush to be a part of his Titanic trip, questions his intentions of launching the venture. Bloom claims Rush was not interested in tourism whereas he just wanted to fund his obsession with the Titanic.

In an interview to the The Post, Bloom claims he backed out of paying $500,000 for two tickets aboard Titan over red flags raised by his son. ‘Rush wasn’t really looking to build a tourism business to the Titanic,” Bloom said. ’He wanted to research and document the decay of the ship over time.'

As multiple dives to the site could have costed a lot of money, Bloom claims, Rush got passengers to go down with him to participate in his scientific observation.

OceanGate CEO's conversations with Jay Bloom

Bloom shared text message conversations between himself and Rush on Facebook from back in February where Rush is seen persuading Bloom to participate in the venture and be worried of sperm wale or squid attacks.

Screenshot of conversation shared by Las Vegas financier Jay Bloom, who was approached by Stockton Rush to be a part of his Titanic trip

A big red flag for Bloom was that there was no training required to step into the vessel, 'Just climb through the hatch and get in,” he stated.

As far as gear, passengers weren’t allowed to wear shoes inside the sub.

Before the fatal accident the submersible had already made two trips to the Titanic and is planning to host the next one in 2024.

OceanGate CEO had a reckless character?

Prominent figures, including billionaire investor Ray Dalio, expressed their anger and accused Rush of displaying reckless behaviour by neglecting tried-and-true safety measures. Rush, trained as an aerospace engineer, defended his decision to forgo safety certification, claiming that regulatory processes hinder innovation and growth. He dismissed safety as unnecessary waste and accused industry players of using safety arguments to impede progress.

Rush's drew inspiration from Elon Musk's efforts in space travel by drawing wealthy travellers. The company's goal was to provide submersibles capable of diving 4,000 meters below the surface, allowing people to experience the wonders of the ocean at a fraction of the cost.

However, Rush's arrogance and a desire to cut costs resulted in ill-conceived decisions. He transitioned from using a steel-hulled submersible to a titanium-capped one made of lightweight carbon fibre. Experts state, unfortunately, carbon fiber proved unreliable under the immense pressure of deep-sea dives, and its use in the submersible's hull was a catastrophic oversight.