Guillermo Sohnlein, the co-founder of the company whose submarine imploded on a trip to see the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board, has told a hearing into the disaster the cause of the accident may never be known.
Sohnlein and Stockton Rush founded the company in 2009. Rush was among the five people who died when the submersible imploded in June 2023.
The former CEO left the company in 2013 but after the submersible’s implosion, he defended his former business partner. Sohnlein told investigators he wants the world to honor his friends by continuing deep-sea exploration.
Roy Thomas, a senior principal engineer with the American Bureau of Shipping, provided testimony on the nuances of carbon fiber materials used to make the Titan’s hull. He said OceanGate never made any attempts to classify their vessel with the agency, one of the main regulators for submersibles in the world.
Had it been recognized, the vessel would have undergone several assessments ensuring its safety. Rush once called classification “an impediment to innovation” and told an employee getting inside Titan is “one of the safest things I will ever do,” adding, “no-one is dying under my watch — period.”
US Coast Guard releases video of salvage efforts to recover parts of Titan sub
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 19:59
Hearing is back in session after break
Brooks is continuing his testimony, currently speaking about the process of collecting data for OceanGate.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 19:37
Hearing taking a short break
The US Coast Guard’s hearing into the Titan tragedy is on a short break. It will reconvene momentarily.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 19:24
Watch: Coast Guard releases footage that provided ‘conclusive evidence’ that Titan passengers died
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 19:05
Phil Brooks, former engineering director for OceanGate, currently testifying
The hearing is back in session. Brooks is currently giving details on his background and career.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 18:39
Who is OceanGate co-founder?
Guillermo Sohnlein founded Titan owner OceanGate with CEO Stockton Rush in 2009.
Sohnlein left the company in 2013 but after the submersible’s implosion, he came to Rush’s defense, asserting his former business partner was “committed” to safety.
He said: “[Rush] was very much focused on safety. I think the next regret he would have is the company not continuing operations and not being able to keep going and getting beyond Titanic because Titanic was really just a means to an end for business.
“It was really to get to a point where the subs would be chartered by people all over the world to do all sorts of interesting projects and learn more about our oceans.”
Sohnlein has previously laid out plans to colonize the Moon and has hopes to send humans to Venus.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 18:30
US Coast Guard releases exhibits ahead of hearing
Photos and exhibits pertaining to the investigation are available on Twitter. One set of documents shows the mapped location of the Titan’s debris on the seafloor. The other photo is of the submersible’s dome previously referenced in testimony.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 18:00
Hearing taking a lunch break will return at 1.30pm ET
Phil Brooks, former OceanGate engineering director, is next to speak
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 17:41
OceanGate’s decision to store Titan outside could’ve led to materials degrading
The American Bureau of Shipping recommends sub owners store vessels in controlled environments. The US Coast Guard stated that OceanGate stored the submersible outside during winter.
“To expose it to the elements could possibly lead to degradation of the materials,” Thomas, the engineer, said.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 17:36
If the Titan submersible had been classified, ABS engineers would’ve needed to clear it after issues
Following the incidents in which the Titan’s dome fell off and a customer heard a “loud banging” noise, an engineer for the ABS would’ve conducted extensive tests to ensure the vessel was safe, had it been classified.
The Titan submersible was not classified by the agency.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 17:21