Former scientific director of the company OceanGate, which organized the tragic  ;mission to the "Titanic", said that a few days before the start of the dive on board the "Titan" there was a breakdown. of the tragedy that took the lives of five people, writes UP.Zhyttia.
According to him, six days before the explosion, a failure occurred during the dive on the “Titan”. The malfunction left five crew members pinned to the submarine's stern for at least an hour.
Due to a problem with the ballast tank that controlled the boat's buoyancy, the submarine's platform flipped 45 degrees, causing its rear part ended up on top.
“The pilot crashed into the rear bulkhead, the rest of the passengers overturned, I ended up on the rear bulkhead, one passenger was hanging upside down, the other two managed to grab the nose end cover”, – said Steven Ross, adding that no one was hurt at the time.
The dive had to be ended prematurely.
As Steven Ross recalls, the Titan was eventually repaired, but it “took a long time.” . However, he does not know whether the hull of the boat was re-inspected after the repair.
Before the start of the tragic mission, as reported to Stephen Ross, the submarine “caught an obstacle while towing at night.” The OceanGate team believed it was caused by abandoned fishing gear.
Steven Rossi said the explanation was “not convincing”, but he did not know if the vessel had sustained any damage at the time.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The former chief scientist also said the submersible was not inspected by the US Coast Guard in 2021, 2022 or 2023. That is, “Titan” did not pass the mandatory inspection by a third party, which was reported earlier.
Stephen Ross recalled during the hearing that there had been several similar incidents before. In particular, in 2022, while surfacing aboard the Titan, company employees heard a loud sound that resembled an impact.
“There was a discussion of the explosion with the crew, mission specialists and scientists .The theory of the origin of the sound was that there was probably a displacement of the pressure housing in its metal stand, which, when it returned to its place, could create such a loud noise”– he said.
During the next dive, the engine controls failed.
Recall that OceanGate's Titan submarine embarked on a private mission to the wreck of the Titanic in June 2023.
“Everything is fine here” , – said in one of the last messages sent from the ship.
On June 18, contact with the ship was lost. There were five crew members on board – billionaire businessman and researcher Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, French researcher Paul-Henri Narjolet, as well as OceanGate executive director Stockton Rush.
On July 7, 2023, OceanGate ceased its activities. .
The wreckage of the Titan discovered at the bottom of the ocean indicates that the ship underwent a “catastrophic implosion” – that is, an explosion directed inwards. Pressure was probably the cause of the collapse.
The US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the cause of the crash.