The testimony from Steven Ross, the former scientific director of OceanGate, coincided with the US Coast Guard commencing a two-week hearing on Monday regarding the June 2023 disaster. The hearing aims to present evidence regarding the causes of the incident and whether any design or physical failures contributed to the accident, which drew international attention.
During the hearing, Ross revealed that the earlier dive was aborted due to a malfunctioning valve, which left at least one passenger inverted and required “considerable time” to rectify.
He described how the privately owned submersible emerged from the dive at a 45-degree angle, with its bow inclined upwards.
Ross, who was onboard with four other passengers, noted, “there’s nothing to hold on to inside this submersible.”
The pilot that day, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush—who died in the implosion shortly thereafter—“collided with the rear bulkhead,” Ross stated.
He recounted, “The other passengers were thrown about. I found myself standing on the rear bulkhead.” He added that one passenger remained inverted, while two others managed to position themselves against the bow end cap. Although no injuries occurred, the confined space was “uncomfortable and unpleasant,” requiring at least an hour to resolve the situation, according to his assessment.
Rush, he noted, was “upset” following the incident.
On June 18, 2023, Rush and four passengers descended in the submersible to view the Titanic wreck. However, contact was lost less than two hours post-departure, prompting a large-scale rescue operation in hopes that the passengers were merely adrift after losing power.
Unfortunately, it soon became evident that the submersible had suffered a catastrophic implosion.
The victims are believed to have perished instantly in the disaster, which took place at a depth of four kilometers under the extreme pressure of the North Atlantic.
In addition to Rush, the Titan was carrying Pakistani-British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, British explorer Hamish Harding, and French submarine expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Nargeolet's family has filed a lawsuit against OceanGate, seeking $50 million in damages for negligence.
A debris field was discovered 500 meters from the Titanic's bow, which rests approximately 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
The Titanic sank after striking an iceberg during its maiden voyage from England to New York in 1912, with 2,224 passengers and crew aboard; over 1,500 individuals lost their lives.
