Co-founder of Titan to testify before Coast Guard about submersible that imploded
The co-founder of the company that owned the experimental submarine that imploded who was en route to the Titanic wreck is expected to testify before the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday as part of its investigation into the shipwreck.
Businessman Guillermo Sohnlein founded Titan owner OceanGate with Stockton Rush, who five people who died when the submarine imploded in June 2023. The Coast Guard began a public hearing earlier this month as part of a high-profile investigation into what caused the implosion.
Sohnlein left the Washington-based company years ago, but after the submarine implosion he spoke in defense of the effort. In his testimony, he is expected to offer perspective on the company’s inner workings.
The public hearing began on September 16, and some of the testimony focused on the troubled nature of the company. Earlier in the hearingDavid Lochridge, OceanGate’s former chief operating officer, said he was in frequent conflict with Rush and felt the company was only interested in making a profit.
“The whole idea of the company was to make money,” Lochridge testified. “There was very little science.”
Other witnesses expected to testify Monday include former OceanGate engineering director Phil Brooks and Roy Thomas of the American Bureau of Shipping. The hearing is expected to last through Friday and will include more witnesses.
Lochridge and other witnesses painted a picture of a struggling company that was impatient to get its unconventionally designed vessel in the water. The accident sparked a global debate about the future of private subsea exploration.
Coast Guard officials noted early in the hearing that the submarine had not been independently reviewed, as is customary. That and Titan’s unusual design drew scrutiny from the underwater exploration community.
OceanGate, based in Washington state, has suspended operations following the implosion. The company currently has no full-time employees, but is represented by a lawyer during the hearing.
During the submarine’s final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after exchanging texts about Titan’s depth and weight during the descent. The support ship Polar Prince then repeatedly sent messages asking if Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.
One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submarine imploded was “all good here,” according to a visual reconstruction presented earlier in the hearing.
When the submarine was reported too late, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Wreckage from the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) from the Titanic’s bow, Coast Guard officials said. No one on board survived.
OceanGate said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began. Titan has been making trips to the Titanic wreck site since 2021.