2023-06-26 13:00:07
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who led the dive to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in the submersible Titan, struggled to attract rich people to the expedition, one of them was offered a last-minute discount, writes The Times newspaper, citing industry sources.
Insiders claim that the head of OceanGate struggled to find rich clients to make the dive not only rewarding but also profitable. He used his powers of persuasion to prevent rejection, as members of the professional and research community were already expressing concerns about the safety of such dives.
“He could convince even someone who knew and understood the risks … it was really pretty predatory,” Patrick Lahey, head of Triton Submarines, told the Times.
In addition, Lachy was a close friend of the assistant pilot of the Titan, Paul-Henri Narjolet – at 73, he also died on board the bathyscaphe. “Paul-Henri was aware of the risks. I told him very frankly why he shouldn’t be there. He understood. I believe that somehow Paul-Henri thought that by being there, he could help these guys avoid tragedy, but instead he was in the center of tragedy, ”said Patrick Lahy.
According to him, it was Paul-Henri Narjolet who gave the green light to the rich, as people looked at his many experience diving on the Titanic.
A newcomer to the diving industry, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush did not push for ship certification because he felt regulators were not keeping up with his technology. His design consisted of combining a cylindrical carbon fiber body with titanium end caps. Experts felt that the case of these materials could lead to delamination and the penetration of microscopic amounts of water, which eventually became the cause of the disaster.
Financier Jay Bloom refused Titan tickets for him and his son Sean, fearing they would not survive the trip. In conversation with NewsNation Bloom toldthat the fear arose after Stockton Rush personally flew to Las Vegas in an “experimental plane” to convince him to board an “experimental bathyscaphe”. At the last moment, Rush offered them a discount. However, Bloom was alarmed by this idea.
“I look at the photo of the father and son who replaced me and the son (48-year-old businessman from Pakistan Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman. – Approx. ed.), And I think how easily, without the grace of God, our photo could to get into the news,” said Jay Bloom, stressing that his son is a big fan of “Titanic”.
However, it was Bloom’s son Sean who consulted his friend and spoke about his doubts about the design of the bathyscaphe. As a result, Rush’s offer had to be abandoned.
The wreckage of the bathyscaphe was found on June 22 a few hundred meters from the remains of the Titanic liner, which were the goal of the Titan expedition. All five people who were in the bathyscaphe were declared dead. They include 58-year-old British businessman and researcher Hamish Harding, 48-year-old Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman. As well as French aquanaut Paul-Henri Narjolet and 61-year-old Stockton Rush, director of OceanGate, which organized the dive.
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