Additional Coverage:
- The man who warned the OceanGate CEO has a message for viewers of the dueling Titan submersible documentaries (businessinsider.com)
Submersible expert Karl Stanley, who voiced concerns to OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush about the Titan submersible’s safety, believes upcoming documentaries will expose Rush’s reckless pursuit of glory. Stanley, who rode the Titan in 2019, told Business Insider he is a key figure in the BBC documentary “Implosion,” premiering May 27, and consulted for the Netflix documentary releasing June 11. He anticipates both films will explore Rush’s motivations for continuing Titan expeditions despite warnings.
The 2023 implosion claimed the lives of Rush and four passengers during a dive to the Titanic wreckage. Stanley believes the documentaries will shift public focus from the perceived dangers of submersibles to Rush’s culpability. He stated, “Rush was hell-bent on glory and should have been stopped, not by laws, but by those around him.”
Stanley’s 2019 dive with Rush raised concerns about the Titan, particularly its carbon fiber hull. He shared emails with BI showing his attempts to dissuade Rush from further passenger dives without additional testing.
A later report revealed a crack in the hull discovered around June 2019, further validating Stanley’s worries. He remarked, “The doomsday clock got a little bit closer to midnight.”
The Netflix documentary trailer features former OceanGate advisor Rob McCallum calling the Titan’s failure a “mathematical certainty.” Stanley concurs, asserting the implosion “was not an accident” and questioning who else bears responsibility. He believes those who provided funding despite the risks should be held accountable.
The family of victim Paul-Henri Nargeolet has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against OceanGate and Rush’s estate, citing “carelessness, recklessness, and negligence.” OceanGate offered condolences and stated their cooperation with investigations. Rush’s estate did not respond to requests for comment.