OceanGate Submersible Disaster: Survivor Recounts Incident Before Catastrophic Implosion

Ross, one of the passengers and ex-employee of OceanGate’s Titan submersible, recounted a harrowing incident that occurred during an earlier dive, prior to the fatal implosion in June 2023. Ross explained that while inside the cramped submersible, there was “nothing to hold on to.” During the dive, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was piloting the sub and tragically died in the subsequent implosion, crashed into the rear bulkhead. This caused chaos inside the small vessel, with Ross and the other four passengers tumbling about in the confined space.

“I ended up standing on the rear bulkhead,” Ross recalled. “One passenger was hanging upside down, and the other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap.”

While no one was injured in the incident, Ross described the experience as “uncomfortable and unpleasant,” noting that it took at least an hour to correct the situation. The confined quarters only added to the challenge, and Stockton Rush was visibly “upset” by the mishap.

The Final Dive: Observing the Titanic’s Wreck

On June 18, 2023, Stockton Rush and four passengers embarked on what would be the Titan’s final dive—a mission to observe the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, located 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The passengers included British explorer Hamish Harding, French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani-British businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old son Suleman.

Just two hours after the submersible began its descent, contact with the surface was lost, sparking a massive search and rescue operation. For days, the world anxiously awaited news, hoping that the sub had simply lost power and was adrift in the ocean’s depths. But tragically, it soon became evident that the Titan had met with a catastrophic fate.

Catastrophic Implosion: What Went Wrong?

Within days of the search, debris from the Titan was discovered about 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. The submersible had suffered a devastating implosion under the immense pressure of the North Atlantic, at a depth of more than two miles (nearly four kilometers). Experts believe the victims perished instantly due to the sheer force of the implosion. The discovery of the wreckage dashed any hopes of a successful rescue and confirmed the tragic outcome of the mission.

Legal Fallout: Lawsuit Filed by Nargeolet’s Family

In the aftermath of the disaster, the family of Paul-Henri Nargeolet has filed a lawsuit against OceanGate, seeking $50 million for negligence. The suit claims that OceanGate failed to take adequate precautions to ensure the safety of the passengers, ultimately leading to the fatal implosion. Nargeolet, a respected submarine expert, had a wealth of experience in deep-sea exploration, and his family is now seeking justice for the tragedy.

The Titan’s ill-fated journey was meant to offer a closer look at one of the world’s most famous shipwrecks—the Titanic. The Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage from England to New York in 1912, with over 2,200 passengers and crew aboard. More than 1,500 people perished in the disaster, and the ship’s wreck now lies on the ocean floor, serving as a solemn reminder of the tragic event. The Titan’s mission to observe the wreckage has added another chapter to the Titanic’s legacy, one marked by the loss of five more lives.

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