Stockton Rush, co-founder and CEO of OceanGate, which developed the ill-fated Titan submersible, said the deep-sea submersible’s carbon fiber hull was built with help from NASA and aerospace manufacturers. claimed to have been developed.
But NASA officials said the agency had little involvement in the process.
Boeing officials agreed, saying the aerospace manufacturer’s recommendations were ignored.
NASA materials engineer Justin Jackson said the agency had intended to play a role in building and testing the carbon fiber hull, but was unable to do so due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Friend says Ocean Gate CEO knew Titan submarine venture would end in disaster
The Coast Guard Marine Investigation Board has filmed the Titan submarine’s aft dome, aft ring, hull debris and carbon fiber debris on the ocean floor ahead of technical testimony at the Titan MBI hearing scheduled in North Charleston, South Carolina. A video of a remotely controlled vehicle has been released. (U.S. Coast Guard video provided by Pelagic Research Services)
Instead, NASA consulted with Oceangate and Oceangate to replace the actual submarine that sank on June 18, 2023, with five people on board, including Rush, while descending into the wreckage of the Titanic. I created a 1 scale mockup.
Jackson discussed NASA’s relationship with Oceangate during a Coast Guard Marine Investigation Board (MBI) hearing on Thursday, saying that NASA was reluctant to allow Rush’s company to use its name.
Creepy video shows Titan submarine’s tail cone on the ocean floor
“Our people felt heartburn because the language they were using was too close to what we support,” Jackson told MBI during the hearing. The hearing was held as part of an investigation into what caused the Titan to explode underwater off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Boeing also reportedly participated early in the process in a feasibility study exploring the use of carbon fiber in Titan’s hull and Ocean Gate’s acoustic sensors on board.
Titan submarine in the Bahamas, May 2018. (Becky Kagan Schott)
Mark Negley, a Boeing materials and process engineer, said Oceangate ignored Boeing’s recommendations for the hull thickness and orientation of the carbon fiber layers that would provide maximum strength.
Coast Guard officials said at the beginning of an MBI hearing earlier this month that the ship had not undergone an independent inspection before heading to the ocean floor, as is standard practice.
The ship’s design also came under scrutiny by members of the undersea exploration community.
Ohio billionaire plans to ‘return to Titanic’ despite failed Titan submarine voyage
An image of Titan’s tail frustum sinking to the ocean floor in June 2023. (U.S. Coast Guard/Ocean Survey Bureau)
Coast Guard Marine Inspector John Winters testified Thursday that Rush opposed regulations he said stifled innovation, but that he never tried to circumvent regulations set by the Coast Guard.
Winters told the panel that he knew about two other submersibles used by Oceangate before learning that Oceangate had built a new ship that could dive deeper to reach the Titanic. .
He said he did not know whether the company notified the Coast Guard about Titan’s construction or reached out to it for guidance.
Ocean Gate CEO crashes submarine into wreck in 2016, throws controller at crew: former employee
Stockton Rush, CEO of Ocean Gate Exhibition, at Times Square in New York City on April 12, 2017. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)
“We didn’t go into what standards it was built to or who built it. There was no discussion about that,” Winters said. “It was just like, ‘Hey, we have submarines. We can go up to 4,000 meters. Now we have submarines that can do that.'”
More witnesses are expected to testify at the hearing, which continues until Friday.
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The MBI investigation currently underway is the highest level maritime accident investigation conducted by the Coast Guard.
Once concluded, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard Commander.
The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating.
Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
