Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
- Stockton Rush had a talent for convincing people that the Titan was safe, an expert said.
- This ability was “quite predatory,” according to Patrick Lahey, president of Triton Submarines.
- Rush once told a prospective client that a trip on the Titan was “safer than crossing the street.”
Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, was on a “predatory” mission to convince influential people to support his doomed Titan submersible, according to an industry expert.
Rush was one of five passengers killed on board the Titan last week during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic. Debris found by search-and-rescue teams on Thursday suggested the vessel had suffered a catastrophic implosion.
Patrick Lahey, president of Triton Submarines and a friend of Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a passenger who died on the Titan, told the Times that Rush had a talent for convincing individuals about the safety of the sub.
“He could even convince someone who knew and understood the risks…it was really quite predatory,” he said.
Lahey said he had warned Nargeolet, who he referred to as PH, of the risks. “I told him in very candid terms why he shouldn’t be out there,” he said, according to the Times.
“He understood. I believe PH thought in some way that by being out there he could help these guys avoid a tragedy but instead he ended up in the middle of one.”
Describing the Titan as a “monstrosity”, Lahey said he had told Nargeolet before the journey that by becoming a passenger, he was also becoming an ambassador for the unsafe mission.
Insider has previously reported on how Rush would brush off safety concerns from prospective passengers.
Financier Jay Bloom was reportedly approached by the CEO before its doomed trip to the Titanic with an offer for cut-priced tickets for him and his son at $150,000 instead of $250,000.
Bloom said he had tried to raise issues of safety with Rush, but the CEO had dismissed them stating that the trip was “safer than crossing the street.”
Rush said: “While there’s obviously risk it’s way safer than flying in a helicopter or even scuba diving. There hasn’t been even an injury in 35 years in a non-military subs.”
In a Facebook post, Bloom stated: “I am sure he really believed what he was saying. But he was very wrong.”
While it is not clear what could have led to the implosion, the submersible’s design had long attracted criticism from industry leaders.
Rush was aware of the concerns. According to a 2018 court filing, former OceanGate employee David Lochridge sued the company, claiming he had been fired in retaliation for raising safety concerns in a scathing report.
In a 2021 interview, the CEO acknowledged he had “broken some rules” by using this unconventional, cheaper, material, but said he believed his design was secure thanks to “logic and good engineering.”
OceanGate did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
from All Insider Content https://www.insider.com/titanic-sub-ceo-was-on-predatory-hunt-for-supporters-expert-2023-6
Dikla Akrat 