The CEO of OceanGate kept diving his Titan submarine despite knowing the ship would eventually implode because he knew he wouldn’t be “held accountable,” his friend testified.
Karl Stanley, a submarine pilot and designer at the Roatan Institute of Deepsea Exploration, told a U.S. Coast Guard panel that Stockton Rush was primarily concerned with leaving “his mark on history.”
“He knew that this was the way it would end and that he would not be held accountable for it,” Stanley testified Tuesday during the panel’s investigation into the fatal crash.
“But he would become the most famous of all his famous relatives.”
Rush was one of five people – including adventurer Hamish Harding, father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, and Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet – who died when the submarine imploded in June 2023.
OceanGate CEO kept diving his Titan submarine despite knowing it would eventually implode because he knew he wouldn’t be “held accountable,” his friend testified
Stanley said he tried to report safety issues he noticed during a test drive in April 2019, including creaking noises and problems with drop weights. He emailed Rush, which dismissed the concerns.
“I also felt that this email exchange was putting a strain on our relationship from what it had been,” he said. “I felt like I had pushed everything as far as I could without him telling me to shut up and never talk to him again.”
Stanley also said he saw OceanGate’s characterization of paying passengers as “mission specialists” as an attempt at accountability.
“It’s clearly an attempt to circumvent US passenger regulations,” Stanley said.
Moreover, the company’s “entire business plan made no sense,” Stanley said.
“This was not unexpected. This was expected by anyone who had access to a little bit of information,” Stanley said.
“And I think if it wasn’t an accident, then it has to be some level of crime. And if it is a crime, I think to really understand it, you have to understand the motive of the criminal.
Stockton Rush was more concerned with the departure, “his mark on history,” his friend told a U.S. Coast Guard panel investigating the implosion
Karl Stanley, a submarine pilot and designer at the Roatan Institute of Deepsea Exploration, said he had tried to discuss safety concerns with Rush
Father and son Shahzada Dawood, 48, (right) one of Pakistan’s richest men and Sulaiman Dawood, 19, (left) died in the implosion
They died along with Paul-Henri Nargeolet (left) and adventurer Hamish Harding (right)
“The reason this whole operation started was because Stockton wanted to make his mark on history.”
Amber Bay, director of administration for the company that owned the doomed submarine, stressed Tuesday that the company would not “conduct high-risk dives simply to meet a need.”
However, she admitted that the company was happy to supply those who paid $250,000 and were encouraged to participate as “mission specialists.”
“There was absolutely a sense of urgency to deliver what we had offered and a dedication and perseverance to achieve that goal,” she told a Coast Guard panel.
She later burst into tears as she spoke about the tragedy, which was personal because she knew the victims.
“I was privileged to know the lives of the explorers who were lost,” Bay said through tears. “And not a day goes by that I don’t think about them, their families, and their loss.”
Rush was one of five people killed when the submarine imploded in June 2023
Amber Bay, director of administration for the company that owned the doomed submarine, burst into tears during the hearing as she spoke about the tragedy
David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former chief operating officer, previously told the panel he was in frequent conflict with Rush and felt the company was only interested in profit.
“The whole idea of the company was to make money,” Lochridge testified. “There was very little in the way of science.”
But at an earlier hearing, Rush told staff that he would not die in his Titan submarine five years before his fateful voyage to the Titanic.
The U.S. Coast Guard has released a redacted transcript of a January 19, 2018, conversation between Rush and his former director of maritime operations David Lochridge as part of its high-level investigation into the cause of the implosion.