OceanGate CEO said doomed sub had been damaged by lightning during test run
The CEO of the firm behind the doomed Titanic submersible previously revealed the vessel had been hit by lightning during a test run.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush died last month along with four passengers when the sub he designed imploded on a descent to see the Titanic wreck.
A video has emerged of him speaking during an interview with undersea tech firm Teledyne Marine where he explained the 2018 lightning strike.
He said: “Fortunately, it was not a direct strike. A direct strike to the carbon fibre probably would have taken us totally out."
According to metadata reviewed by Insider, the original video was posted in August 2020.
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It's believed the lightning struck during deep-sea testing in 2018 near Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas.
Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush revealed previous mishaps with the sub (OceanGate)“Upon arrival the sub’s electronics sustained lightning damage that affected over 70% of its internal systems,” OceanGate said a later post on OceanGate's Instagram post. “Combined with uncharacteristically stormy and windy conditions in the Bahamas the team was unable to complete the first 4000-metre dive at least 45 days prior to the Titanic Survey Expedition.”
In a statement, Mr Rush said that he was disappointed by the delay, but added that “we are not willing to short cut the testing process due to a condensed timeline. We are 100% committed to safety and want to fully test the sub and validate all operational and emergency procedures before launching any expedition.”
In the interview with Teledyne Marine, Mr Rush said the sub’s faulty parts quickly.
Twisted pieces of the imploded submersible were recovered from the ocean floor (Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock)He said: “Fortunately, we are using commercial off-the-shelf and line-replaceable items. So in a matter of a couple of days, we were able to replace all those components."
He added: “But we continue to have issues on connectors, penetrators, wiring. Lightning can do weird things. That pushed our testing back and we ended up having to cancel that."
The sub went missing June 18 and the wreckage was found five days later on June 22.
Contact with the sub was lost an hour and 45 minutes into the trip.
Mr Rush said to have ignored a "really loud bang" on the doomed vessel Titan before he and four others died.
Stockton Rush spoke in an interview last year about his fears regarding the voyage but ultimately insisted his mission was safe. (CBS/Youtube)He told an episode of BBC's The Travel Show a passenger had heard a concerning sound while the vessel was on the ocean surface.
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It was "not a soothing sound", he said on the 2022 show, but said that “almost every deep-sea sub makes a noise at some point”.
On the show, Rush told the tourists he wanted them all to be "fully informed" about the dangers they were facing.
He said: "This is an experimental sub, this is a dangerous environment.”
Whistleblowers have said glue leaked from the seams holding the ballast bags together, while experts questioned the design of the submersible's hull.
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