Titan sub malfunctioned just before fatal Titanic dive, scientific director says
Days before the experimental vessel imploded, an issue caused passengers to ‘tumble about’, and it took an hour to get them out of the water
The scientific director for the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year while on its way to the Titanic wreckage testified that the sub had malfunctioned just before the fatal dive.
Appearing before a US Coastguard panel on Thursday, Steven Ross told the board about a platform issue the experimental submersible experienced in June 2023, just days before it imploded on its way to the Titanic site.
The malfunction caused passengers on board the submersible to “tumble about”, and it took an hour to get them out of the water.
The submersible pilot, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into bulkheading during the malfunction, Ross said.
“One passenger was hanging upside down. The other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap,” Ross said, adding that he did not know if an assessment of the Titan hull was performed after the incident.
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Earlier on Thursday, Renata Rojas, a mission specialist for the company, told the coastguard the firm was staffed by competent people who wanted to “make dreams come true”.
