Tue Sep 24 01:12:40 UTC 2024: ## OceanGate’s Use of Excel Spreadsheet for Titan Submersible Navigation Raises Concerns
**New evidence from a U.S. Coast Guard investigation into the implosion of the Titan submersible has revealed OceanGate’s reliance on an outdated and potentially dangerous method for navigation.**
Former OceanGate contractor Antonella Wilby testified during a recent hearing that the company used an Excel spreadsheet to manually map the submersible’s location, a stark contrast to the industry standard of automated data collection.
Wilby explained that the Titan’s positioning system used sound pings to gather data on the submersible’s velocity, depth, and position. This information was then manually recorded in a notebook before being typed into the Excel spreadsheet.
“There were delays because there was this manual process of first writing down the lat-long coordinates and then typing them in,” Wilby said. “We tried to do that every five minutes, but it was a lot to do.”
The Coast Guard investigation is ongoing, and the revelation of OceanGate’s rudimentary navigation system has raised serious concerns about the company’s safety practices.
**Experts point out that the lack of automated data collection and reliance on a spreadsheet could have significantly impacted the company’s ability to accurately track the submersible’s location and respond effectively in case of emergencies.**
The Titan submersible imploded in June 2023, killing all five people on board, including Stockton Rush, the founder and owner of OceanGate. The tragedy has prompted a renewed focus on safety regulations and practices in the emerging field of deep-sea tourism.
First Piper 