Firm behind Titanic sub deaths tries to scrub internet of traces it ever existed

23 July 2023 , 20:49

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The submersible was due to take multiple trips to the Titanic this year. (Image: EyePress News/REX/Shutterstock)

The Titanic submarine firm behind the fatal exploration mission has appeared to attempt to scrub the internet of any trace of its existence.

OceanGate, which built the Titan submersible that imploded during an exploration mission around the Titanic, has seemingly wiped the internet of their social media accounts and website.

This comes after it announced it would suspend deep-sea exploration, after the death of its co-founder Stockton Rush who was onboard the submersible.

Its website now redirects to a page which says OceanGate has “suspended all exploration and commercial operations”, Insider reports.

They have removed all of their social media accounts in an apparent bid to wipe themselves off the internet.

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Firm behind Titanic sub deaths tries to scrub internet of traces it ever existed

OceanGate's Instagram account is now on private. (Instagram/@oceangate)

Facebook pages for OceanGate and OceanGate Expeditions have been removed, as have all of their LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

OceanGate’s Instagram has been placed on private, while OceanGate Expedition’s Instagram has been deleted.

An archived version of their website shows that OceanGate initially announced the suspension of their activity at the top of their website - but had since changed this.

Titan submersible passengers (L-R, top to bottom) Hamish Harding, Stockton Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Suleman Dawood and father Shahzada Dawood (Dirty Dozen Productions/OceanGat)

The archive page from July 8 also included links to other pages displaying their previous expeditions and their submersibles.

OceanGate Foundation’s website lasted the longest and was still accessible until 14 July. The Mirror has found the Foundation’s site is now down - however it states this is only for “maintenance” reasons.

The Titan submersible first went missing on June 18, kicking off a frantic search until debris from the imploded vessel was discovered on June 22.

Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St John's, Newfoundland (AP)

The late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and others involved in the company have been criticised for ignoring safety warnings regarding the expeditions - which cost $250,000, typically for three paying passengers.

As the Titanic wreckage is in international waters and the OceanGate expeditions did not carry passengers from a port, they were not subject to safety regulations.

The submersible was not built sturdily enough to withstand the water pressure. (EyePress News/REX/Shutterstock)

And now OceanGate is seeking to scrub its digital footprint, following the deaths of Pakistani-British businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, British businessman Hamish Harding, pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet and Stockton Rush.

A spokesperson for OceanGate told Insider: “There's no additional information to provide beyond the latest update that 'OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations' at this time.”