Titan submarine lead engineer felt pressure to get vessel ready for dive before it imploded on its way to the Titanic, hearing told
The lead engineer of the Titan submersible that exploded on its way to the wreck of the Titanic has told a hearing into the tragedy that he felt pushed to get the vessel ready to dive.
The lead engineer of the Titan submersible that exploded on its way to the wreck of the Titanic has told a hearing into the tragedy that he felt pushed to get the vessel ready to dive.
Tony Nissen, OceanGates former engineering director, said he 100 per cent felt pressure to get the submarine into the water at the hearing in South Carolina.
He also said he refused to pilot the Titan years ago because he didnt trust the operations staff, and that he stopped the submersible from going to the Titanic in 2019.
Im not getting in it, Mr Nissen said he told Stockton Rush, co-founder of the OceanGate, adding that the Titan was not working like we thought it would.
However, he added that the Titan did undergo additional testing before it made later dives to the Titanic.
Images of the titan wreckage shown at the hearing in South Carolina yesterday
Tony Nissen, head engineer for OceanGate, leaves after his testimony at the US coastguard hearing yesterday
Debris from the Titan is recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic on June 28 last year
Pictured: The Titan submersible beginning a descent to the ocean floor
Mr Nissen was the first witness to testify at what is expected to be a two-week U.S. Coast Guard hearing in North Charleston, South Carolina.
He said he was fired from OceanGate five years ago after he would not sign off on a damaged hull for the 2019 Titanic expedition.
The Titan imploded on June 18 last year killing all five people onboard, including Mr Rush and clients Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman.
The submersibles unconventional design subjected the Titan to scrutiny and the tragedy set off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.
M Nissen said at the hearing Mr Rush could be difficult to work for and was often very concerned with costs and project schedules, among other issues.
He said Mr Rush would fight for what he wanted, which often changed day to day.
He added that he tried to keep the clashes between the two of them behind closed doors so that others in the company wouldnt be aware.
Most people would eventually just back down to Stockton, he said at the hearing in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Nissen also noted that the Titan was struck by lightning during a test mission in 2018, and that might have compromised its hull.
When asked if there was pressure to get the Titan into the water, he responded, 100%.
Pictured: Stockton Rush, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of OceanGate, who was killed in the disaster
Pictured: Businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman who died on the vessel
Tony Nissen, head engineer for OceanGate, waits for board members to return during a recess in a Coast Guard investigatory hearing
But when questioned on whether he felt the pressure from Rush compromised safety decisions and testing, Nissen paused, then replied, No. And thats a difficult question to answer, because given infinite time and infinite budget, you could do infinite testing.
The submersible was left exposed to the elements while in storage for seven months in 2022 and 2023, and the hull was also never reviewed by any third parties, as is standard practice, Coast Guard representatives said in their initial remarks on Monday.
One of the last messages from the Titans crew to the support ship Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, all good here, according to a visual re-creation the Coast Guard presented earlier in the hearing.
The crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the submersibles depth and weight as it descended.
The Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.
OceanGate, based in Washington state, suspended operations after the implosion.
The companys former finance and human resources director, Bonnie Carl, also testified on Monday that she was aware of safety concerns about the Titan, and that the companys operations director, David Lochridge, had characterized it as unsafe.
Mr Lochridge is scheduled to testify at the hearing today.
The titan submersible pictured in June 2021 in an image provided by OceanGate
Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from a ship on June 28 last year
Tym Catterson, a contractor who worked with the company, told the marine board on Monday that training and operations at sea could have been better.
Among those not on the witness list is Rushs widow, Wendy Rush, the companys communications director.
Asked about her absence, spokesperson Melissa Leake said the Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations.
She said its common for a Marine Board of Investigation to hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases.
Also scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard.
Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify.
OceanGate has no full-time employees currently but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement.
The company has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began, the statement said.
The Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021.
Last year, the submersible lost contact with its support vessel about two hours after it made its final dive.
Tony Nissen, head engineer for OceanGate, pictured during the hearing yesterday
US Coast Guard Captain Jamie Frederick speaks to reporters about the search efforts for the Titan submersible on June 21 last year
Pictured: The Titan submersible developed by company OceanGate
When it was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles south of St. Johns, Newfoundland.
The search for the submersible attracted worldwide attention, as it became increasingly unlikely that anyone could have survived the implosion.
Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.
The time frame for the investigation was initially a year, but the inquiry has taken longer.
The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard.
When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guards commandant. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.
There are no words to ease the loss endured by the families impacted by this tragic incident, said Jason Neubauer of the Coast Guard Office of Investigations, who led the hearing.
But we hope that this hearing will help shed light on the cause of the tragedy and prevent anything like this from happening again.
