Guillermo Sohnlein, the co-founder of the company whose submarine imploded on a trip to see the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board, has told a hearing into the disaster the cause of the accident may never be known.
Sohnlein and Stockton Rush founded the company in 2009. Rush was among the five people who died when the submersible imploded in June 2023.
The former CEO left the company in 2013 but after the submersible’s implosion, he defended his former business partner. Sohnlein told investigators he wants the world to honor his friends by continuing deep-sea exploration.
Roy Thomas, a senior principal engineer with the American Bureau of Shipping, provided testimony on the nuances of carbon fiber materials used to make the Titan’s hull. He said OceanGate never made any attempts to classify their vessel with the agency, one of the main regulators for submersibles in the world.
Had it been recognized, the vessel would have undergone several assessments ensuring its safety. Rush once called classification “an impediment to innovation” and told an employee getting inside Titan is “one of the safest things I will ever do,” adding, “no-one is dying under my watch — period.”
Monday hearing has concluded, proceedings to resume on Tuesday at 8.30am
Brooks has been released as a witness.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 21:37
Brooks says OceanGate asked employees to go without payment
OceanGate ran out of money several times before the fatal implosion that killed five people, Brooks says, adding the company asked him to go without his paycheck on multiple occasions.
“They asked for volunteers,” he said. The “company was economically stressed.” Brooks says he’s unsure about whether the company successfully recruited volunteers.
The company promised employees they’d get us “caught up in paychecks after the 1st of the year.” he said.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 21:00
Brooks says that no maintenance was done on Titan hull between 2022 and 2023
No testing or maintenance was done on the Titan submersible’s hull between 2022 and 2023. The vessel’s hull was made of carbon fiber which is susceptible to damage and failure, especially after repeated dives to extreme depths.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 20:41
Who is Phil Brooks?
According to the former OceanGate employee’s LinkedIn, Brooks worked for the submersible company first as an embedded linux engineer in 2019. He was promoted to director of engineering in 2021.
He left OceanGate in March 2023. He’s now a senior hardware engineer in Seattle.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 20:24
US Coast Guard releases video of salvage efforts to recover parts of Titan sub
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 19:59
Hearing is back in session after break
Brooks is continuing his testimony, currently speaking about the process of collecting data for OceanGate.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 19:37
Hearing taking a short break
The US Coast Guard’s hearing into the Titan tragedy is on a short break. It will reconvene momentarily.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 19:24
Watch: Coast Guard releases footage that provided ‘conclusive evidence’ that Titan passengers died
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 19:05
Phil Brooks, former engineering director for OceanGate, currently testifying
The hearing is back in session. Brooks is currently giving details on his background and career.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 18:39
Who is OceanGate co-founder?
Guillermo Sohnlein founded Titan owner OceanGate with CEO Stockton Rush in 2009.
Sohnlein left the company in 2013 but after the submersible’s implosion, he came to Rush’s defense, asserting his former business partner was “committed” to safety.
He said: “[Rush] was very much focused on safety. I think the next regret he would have is the company not continuing operations and not being able to keep going and getting beyond Titanic because Titanic was really just a means to an end for business.
“It was really to get to a point where the subs would be chartered by people all over the world to do all sorts of interesting projects and learn more about our oceans.”
Sohnlein has previously laid out plans to colonize the Moon and has hopes to send humans to Venus.
Michelle Del Rey23 September 2024 18:30