The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released chilling audio of the moment the Titan imploded on June 18, 2023, killing OceanGate co-founder and CEO Stockton Rush, UK billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet and father and son Shahzada Dawood and Suleman Dawood.
The deep sea vessel was attempting to reach the Titanic wreckage but lost communication less than two hours into the voyage, prompting a multi-day search that ended when debris from the submarine was found on the ocean floor.
In the days of searching, numerous red flags about the vessel and the CEO’s vision surfaced. From Rush being on video explaining he didn’t want to hire experienced 50 year old white guys because they’re not inspirational to the company using substandard material for the vessel and many of its parts. OceanGate had plenty of warnings along the way from whistleblowers, former passengers and experts, but they were all ignored.
“The definition of an accident is something that happened unexpectedly and by sheer chance,” Karl Stanley, former OceanGate passenger and colleague of Rush, said during testimony before a Coast Guard panel. “There was nothing unexpected about this. This was expected by everybody that had a little bit of information, and I think that if it wasn’t an accident, it then has to be some degree of crime.”
The U.S. Coast Guard's Titan Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) released the audio as part of the investigation and as an investigation exhibit. The recording was provided to the MBI by NOAA, which approved its use in the investigation and public release. #TitanMBI
— USCG MaritimeCommons (@maritimecommons) February 12, 2025
OceanGate suspended all commercial and exploration operations weeks after the incident.
