Friend of OceanGate CEO Testifies That Titan Disaster Was No Accident: ‘There Was Nothing Unexpected About This’

The glitter of fame caused OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush to pursue undersea risks with the expectation that one day he would meet one he could not survive, a former colleague and friend said Tuesday.

Karl Stanley, a longtime buddy of Rush, testified as part of the Coast Guard’s inquiry into the June 18, 2023, implosion of the submersible Titan, in which Rush and four passengers aboard were killed.

“The definition of an accident is something that happened unexpectedly and by sheer chance,” Stanley said, according to a video clip posted to YouTube.

“There was nothing unexpected about this. This was expected by everybody that had access to a little bit of information,” he said.

“And I think that, if it wasn’t an accident, it then has to be some degree of crime. And if it’s a crime, I think to truly understand it, you need to understand the criminal’s motive,” he said.

“And I think the entire reason this whole operation started was Stockton had a desire to leave his mark on history,” Stanley said.

We’re releasing more footage of the Titan salvage ahead of technical testimony and exhibits. The footage includes the aft dome, aft ring, remnants of the hull and carbon fiber debris. Transparency remains our priority as we provide context and information to the public. #TitanMBI pic.twitter.com/o65FrKNCnY

— USCG MaritimeCommons (@maritimecommons) September 18, 2024

Two of Rush’s ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence, according to the New York Post.

“He knew that eventually it was going to end like this, and he wasn’t going to be held accountable. But he was going to be the most famous of all his famous relatives,” Stanley said Tuesday.

Stanley said Rush was not really a businessman.

“Stockton’s entire business plan made zero sense,” he said.

Reports have indicated there were warnings about Titan.

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush ‘knew’ his doomed Titan submersible would eventually kill him, friend testifies — as new photos of wreckage released https://t.co/l5ItIjh9OL pic.twitter.com/AAuWEu5H09

— New York Post (@nypost) September 25, 2024

According to Wired, Mark Negley of Boeing warned Rush there was, he believed, a “high risk of significant failure” at the depth of the Titanic, which was where the Titan was operating when it imploded.

John Winters, master marine inspector with the Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, said Wednesday that Rush never asked the Coast Guard to inspect the Titan, according to the U.K.’s Independent.

“He did express on multiple occasions that regulations were stifling his innovation process,” Winters said.

He also said Rush “never attempted to circumvent any regulations.”

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