OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush told a friend in 2019 that he would shut down his company, it has been revealed. Stockton emailed a friend named Karl Stanley, who is an expert in submersibles. Karl had earlier expressed concerns over the safety of the Titan submersible after hearing cracking noises while on a dive in the Bahamas.
An underwater robot had recently been combing the floor for debris from the catastrophic implosion of the submersible that resulted in the deaths of five passengers. The deceased passengers were Stockton, British billionaire Hamish Harding, French diver Paul Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.
"I think that hull has a defect near that flange, that will only get worse. The only question in my mind is will it fail catastrophically or not," Karl previously told Stockton in an email, according to the news outlet Insider.
"I made it clear after our dive that I will not take nonessential crew, clients or media in the sub until I am confident that the hull is safe," Stockton responded. "As I told you before, I cancelled last year's expedition and will cancel this year's, or even shut down the company, before I will operate an unsafe sub."
Following the tragedy, investigators from the US Coast Guard, the US National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the French marine casualties investigation board and the United Kingdom Marine Accident Investigation Branch have been working closely on the probe.
{{/usCountry}}Following the tragedy, investigators from the US Coast Guard, the US National Transportation Safety Board, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the French marine casualties investigation board and the United Kingdom Marine Accident Investigation Branch have been working closely on the probe.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, a Florida couple who sued Stockton announced that they are dropping the lawsuit after the Titan tragedy. Marc and Sharon Hagle filed the lawsuit in February after Stockton reportedly refused to refund them over $210,000. The couple said they spent the amount on an expedition that was set to take place in 2018, according to court records.
"As has been reported, we have been involved in a legal dispute with Stockton Rush, CEO/Founder of OceanGate. In light of these tragic events, we have informed our attorneys to withdraw all legal actions against Stockton,” the couple said, adding that "honor, respect and dignity" are more important than money. They offered their well wishes to the families of the victims, according to Fox 29.