Mon Sep 23 21:52:40 UTC 2024: ## Titan Submersible Builder Initially Didn’t Plan to Build Own Vessels: Testimony

**WASHINGTON, D.C.** – Guillermo Sohnlein, co-founder of OceanGate, the company behind the doomed Titan submersible, testified Monday before a US Coast Guard panel investigating the vessel’s implosion last year. Sohnlein, who left OceanGate in 2013, revealed that the company initially aimed to lease a fleet of submersibles from other manufacturers. However, they found that none could meet their requirements for deep-sea exploration.

This led OceanGate, co-founded by Stockton Rush, to take the path of building their own vessels, a decision that ultimately led to the Titan. Sohnlein contradicted previous testimonies that portrayed Rush as prioritizing profits over safety. He described Rush as an explorer driven by a passion for deep-sea exploration, emphasizing that the company was not driven by tourism or revisiting explored locations.

However, the Coast Guard panel has heard consistent accounts from former OceanGate employees highlighting safety concerns and the company’s focus on profit-making. Testimony last week from a former director of marine operations, David Lochridge, painted a picture of a company prioritizing profits over safety, ignoring warnings and building a vessel he deemed unsafe.

A key point of contention is the use of carbon fiber in the Titan’s construction. Roy Thomas, an engineer from the American Bureau of Shipping, testified that carbon fiber, while lightweight, is not ideal for constructing hulls due to its susceptibility to fatigue damage and the lack of industry standards for its use in deep-sea vessels. OceanGate did not seek classing from the American Bureau of Shipping, which means the Titan didn’t undergo independent verification of its safety standards.

The investigation continues with the panel gathering testimonies and examining the design and construction of the Titan. The focus remains on determining the cause of the catastrophic implosion that claimed the lives of Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Read More