OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush pictured on May 27, 2023. Weed says, when he asked about potential emergencies and the possibility of being away from the sub's mothership, Rush callously replied, ‘Well, you're dead anyway.’ — Travel Weekly via AP
Even as the investigators and experts analyse the mysterious implosion of Titan, skeletons are falling out of from OceanGate’s closet – exposing its CEO’s rash behaviour which risked several lives over the years.
A documentary cameraman, Brian Weed, has come out to shed light on an unsettling response from OceanGate Expeditions CEO, Stockton Rush, during a test dive aboard the ill-fated Titan submersible.
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Weed says, when he asked about potential emergencies and the possibility of being away from the sub's mothership, Rush callously replied, "Well, you're dead anyway." The incident occurred during the filming of Discovery Channel's Expedition Unknown in May 2021.
Weed recounted his conversation with Rush, stating that he asked what would happen if they needed to surface quickly due to an emergency. Rush nonchalantly mentioned the four or five days of oxygen on board but didn't provide reassurance about rescue efforts. Weed found Rush's response disturbing, perceiving it as a nihilistic attitude toward life and death in the middle of the ocean.
The cameraman described Rush's seemingly cavalier attitude as implying that if you were stranded without rescue for that long, death was inevitable. Weed considered this disregard for basic safety a red flag and expressed unease about the test dive.
The test dive, intended to explore Titanic depths, ultimately had to be aborted due to mechanical and communications glitches. The sub lost propulsion, leading to its premature return to the surface. Weed, already feeling sceptical, decided to pull out of the project due to safety concerns. As a result, the Discovery production was cancelled.
Tragically, on June 18, the Titan submersible imploded during its dive near the wreckage of the Titanic, claiming the lives of all five individuals on board, including Stockton Rush. Since the incident, OceanGate has suspended all exploratory and commercial operations, and the company has faced criticism for potential safety negligence.
Weed's account raises further questions about the culture of safety within OceanGate and highlights the need for thorough precautions in such high-risk expeditions. – The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)/Tribune News Service
