New Netflix documentary on doomed Titan sub drops June 11
Netflix has just dropped the official trailer of Titan: The OceanGate Disaster, which will air in Australia on June 11.
The new documentary will delve into the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible, examining the events that lead to the tragic 2023 incident.
OceanGate's ill-fated tour to the Titanic wreck claimed five lives – the company's CEO Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman and French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The trailer goes hard on testimony from those who knew the expedition company and its billionaire boss, Mr Rush, a US entertepenuer.
They include ex-OceanGate staff members like Tony Nissen, a former engineering director at the firm, Bonnie Carl, a human resources and finance director, and David Lochridge, an operations director who previously said he was fired after raising safety concerns about the sub.
Mr Lochridge says he thought Rush 'wanted fame' to 'fuel his ego', while Mr Nissen adds he thought the CEO was 'a borderline psychopath'.
Also interviewed was Ms Carl, who recalls her reaction after she said Rush announced she would be the company's next sub pilot: 'Are you nuts? I'm an accountant.'
Meanwhile, one individual says: 'There was no way of knowing when Titan was going to fail but it was a mathematical certainty that it would fail.
'Stockton saw an opportunity to restart tourist visits to Titanic, while another interviewee claimed Rush 'fully believed in what he was doing would work'.
The tour took place on June 18, 2023 with the sub heading to view the wreck of the Titanic when it went vanished from sonar and failed to resurface from the 12,500ft (3810m) dive in the north Atlantic.
The world became captivated in the search and rescue mission in what was thought to be a race against time to save the crew.
But five days later a piece of debris was found on the ocean floor, confirming everyone's worst fear – the sub had imploded.
Rob McCallum, who has led seven dives to the Titanic, told The Sun the tragedy was 'unavoidable' as OceanGate had been repeatedly warned their 22ft (6.7m) sub was not safe.
Titan was never certified or classed, and Mr McCallum implored Rush to let an independent agency test his vessel.
Mr McCallum said the businessman refused to listen, however, and simply brushed aside warnings.
'I run an expedition company that had delivered over 1500 expeditions – we are not cavalier, we manage risk as far as we can,' he told the publication last year.
'So when OceanGate say things like exploration involves risk, yes it does, but that doesn't give you carte blanche to ignore obvious danger.'
Rush accused those trying to raise safety concerns of trying to stop innovation.
The engineer, who co-founded OceanGate in 2009, created Titan with an experimental design made up of a carbon-fibre pod with titanium rings bolted on.
Mr McCallum, who founded expedition company EYOS, said carbon fibre material is not fit for submerging so deep underwater.
He warned Rush that the carbon fibre would not withstand such pressure, but Rush allegedly informed him he was 'going to carry on regardless'.
During a two-week hearing over the doomed sub in September 2024, the US Coast Guard released footage showing part of the Titan on the ocean floor.
It shows a close-up of wiring hanging out of the tail cone that formed part of the 6.7 metre vessel made from carbon fibre and titanium.
OceanGate's then chief pilot Mr Lochridge, who was fired after his inspection report laid bare a series of safety risks, spoke about the 'appalling faults' with the original model of the doomed sub during the hearing.
He said he was particularly concerned that the hull was made from carbon fibre and was only about five inches thick – and not usual metals like titanium.
'The whole idea of the company was to make money. There was very little in the way of science,' Mr Lochridge claimed.
Mr Nissen also told the hearing he had refused to sign off on a 2019 dive to the wreckage of the Titanic also due to concerns over the Titan's hull. He was fired later that year.
He said Rush had been unfazed after learning of a potential 2018 lightning strike on the submersible and possible hull problems.
Refusing to believe news of the damage, Rush insisted 'it'll be OK', Mr Nissen said, according to testimony from the hearing published in The New York Times.
During his testimony, Mr Lochridge walked the panel through photos of the Titan's hull that showed the layers of carbon fibre coming apart — and even one troubling photo that showed how a flashlight shine could be seen through the thin material.
A cameraman who previously worked with Rush told the New York Post in 2023 that Rush 'didn't want anyone telling him what he couldn't do' — and this hubristic attitude ultimately drove OceanGate's fiascos, Mr Lochridge claimed.
In the years after he was dismissed from OceanGate, Lochridge said he would see the company promote missions to the Titanic and wonder if they would end in catastrophe.
'It was inevitable something was going to happen. And it was just when.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Did I want this?': Tammy Hembrow and Matt Zukowski call it quits
Fitness influencer Tammy Hembrow has broken down in tears while announcing her split from Matt Zukowski after fewer than eight months of marriage. Ms Hembrow, 31, took to social media, where she shared that although it was giving her 'so much anxiety' to announce it, their marriage was over. 'I wanted to finally tell you guys that I am getting a divorce,' she said. Ms Hembrow stressed that she didn't want to get into the details, and wanted to be sensitive to everyone involved. 'Did I think this was going to happen? No. Did I want this? No. Obviously, when you marry someone, you do it thinking … um, that it is going to be forever,' she said. 'I blame no one but myself.' Ms Hembrow and Mr Zukowski tied the knot in November 2024. Ms Hembrow had to pause multiple times to collect herself, explaining that she doesn't think she's always made the 'best choices' in her romantic life. 'When it comes to relationships. I'm really good at putting on rose-coloured glasses or just getting swept up in it all,' she said. 'Obviously, the worst part for me is that I have kids. I don't care about me, I know I'll be okay. I feel awful.' Ms Hembrow continued to cry as she said she just wanted to focus on her kids, healing, and all the good things in her life. She also acknowledged that there had already been some cruel commentary online about her inability to make a relationship last. Ms Hembrow has three children: Wolf and Saskia with her ex-fiance Reece Hawkins, and her daughter Posy with her ex-fiance Matt Poole. 'Nothing anyone could say will make me feel more s**t or humiliated than I already do. I already think that about myself right now,' she said. Ms Hembrow then shared she was still in therapy, and this experience has made her realise there's a lot of work she still needs to do. 'There's a lesson in everything. Hopefully, this time, I learn it,' she said. 'Hopefully, I'll be more cautious going forward and more eyes wide open and listen to the people around me. 'Hopefully I finally learn from these mistakes. Super embarrassing, super heartbreaking, super just s*** situation.' Meanwhile, Mr Zukowski posted on his Instagram story to confirm that the marriage was officially over and admitted he'd 'struggled' with the decision. 'It's with a heavy heart I share that Tammy and I have decided to separate. Both of us have struggled with making this decision; however, we need to do what is right for ourselves and her three children,' he wrote. 'This wasn't a decision we took lightly. Our time together will always be cherished and never forgotten.'
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tammy Hembrow breaks down as she reveals marriage is over
A tearful Tammy Hembrow has taken to Tiktok to confirm her divorce from Love Island star Matt Zukowski after less than a year of marriage.
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Margret RoadKnight—60 years in the business
Singer and guitarist Margret RoadKnight doesn't write her own songs but she's had a six decade career interpreting other people's. She has a voice able to sit across a range of musical styles—from blues to gospel, folk to jazz. This career spanning conversation was originally recorded in 2019, and we're running it again to celebrate four of Margret's albums from the 1980s and 90s being made available on Bandcamp for the first time (via Chapter Music). Music in this program: Title: Living Legend (live) Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Shel Silverstein, Bob Gibson Recorded live at Port Fairy Folk Festival, 2006 Title: Girls in our Town Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Bob Hudson Album: Margret RoadKnight Decade: '75-'85 Label: Festival Records Title: Cinderella Acappella Artist: Margret RoadKnight, Jeannie Lewis, Moya Simpson, Blair Greenberg Composer: John Shortis Album: Cinderella Acappella Label: Rascal Records Title: A Bunch of Damned Whores Artist: Margret RoadKnight, Moya Simpson, Jarnie Birmingham, Mara Kiek, Judy Bailey piano Composer: Ted Egan Album: Fringe Benefits Label: Honky Tonk Angels/Chapter Music (reissue) Title: Wasn't That A Mighty Day Artist: Marion Williams & The Stars Of Faith, Princess Stewart, Prof. Alex Bradford & The Bradford Singers Composer: Traditional, arranged Alex Bradford Album: Black Nativity, Gospel On Broadway! Label: Festival Records Title: Sweet Solitary Blues Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Robyn Archer Album: Moving Target >>>>> harder to hit Label: Honky Tonk Angels/Chapter Music (reissue) Title: If You Love Me Artist: Margret RoadKnight Composer: Malvina Reynolds Album: An Audience With Margret RoadKnight Label: Chapter Music (reissue) Title: McMasters Ward Artist: Roger Knox Composer: Roger Knox, Toby Martin Album: Buluunarbi and The Old North Star Label: Flippin Yeah
