A former OceanGate employee has revealed the first troubling warning sign of the Titan submersible’s issues before its implosion.
Bonnie Carl, a former OceanGate employee, has revealed alarming details about the Titan submersible.
The submersible tragically imploded during a dive into the Titanic wreck in June 2023.
Her comments come as investigations continue into the disaster that claimed the lives of five passengers, including CEO Stockton Rush.
The inquiry aims to determine the causes behind the Titan submersible’s tragic implosion.
Former OceanGate employee uncovers first disturbing signal of Titan sub before its implosion
Bonnie Carl, who held the position of human resources and finance director at OceanGate, expressed her concerns during a recent hearing.
She described her experience with the company and indicated several “red flags” she noticed regarding the safety protocols surrounding the Titan.
OceanGate employee spotted disturbing signal of the sub’s acrylic dome.
She said: “The first big warning was when the engineering team didn’t share details about the sub’s acrylic dome.”
Carl requested to review the documentation related to the acrylic dome, but her requests were denied.
Engineering Director Tony Nissen was responsible for this decision.
This raised immediate concerns for her about the safety standards being upheld.
“My inquiries regarding the dome were not adequately addressed,” she said.
In her testimony, Carl mentioned that the dome was rated for a maximum depth of only 1,300 meters.
This was significantly less than the depth required to reach the Titanic wreck, which lies at approximately 3,800 meters.
Carl suspected that this was the reason Nissen was reluctant to share the paperwork with her.
She also found O-ring groove on the Titan’s titanium structure was so odd
Another aspect that troubled Carl was the design of an O-ring groove on the Titan’s titanium structure, which she described as looking “odd.”
“The design of an O-ring groove was so odd,” Bonnie said.
Carl’s background helped her spot potential hazards, but the responses she got were not reassuring.
None of the five victims signed waiver
Importantly, she mentioned during the hearing that there was a waiver that passengers needed to sign before boarding the sub.
However, she claimed she never actually saw anyone sign it.
Her experience as a scuba diver made her sensitive to possible safety problems. She felt uneasy about the engineering decisions being made.
The employee decided to leave OceanGate after her warnings were dismissed.
Carl’s discomfort with the company’s safety culture ultimately led her to leave OceanGate in 2018.
She stated, “I didn’t want to work for that company,”
“Passengers’ safety should always come first,” Bonnie emphasized.
She left the company before the Titan’s construction was finished.
A recent hearing aimed to reveal the details of the Titan-sub disaster
The Titan was intended for deep-sea exploration and was designed to provide an immersive experience for its passengers.
However, Carl’s revelations show that there were likely serious safety oversights.
These oversights may have contributed to the vessel’s catastrophic failure.
The U.S. Coast Guard is holding hearings to uncover all details about the incident.
They aim to create recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The Titan sub tragically exploded and took the lives of five passengers onboard
The Titan submersible was last seen descending into the depths of the ocean on June 18, 2023.
After losing contact, a search and rescue operation was launched, but it was soon revealed that the sub had suffered a catastrophic implosion.
The five individuals onboard, including renowned explorers and businessmen, were all confirmed dead.
Following the incident, the focus has shifted to the safety measures and engineering practices employed by OceanGate.
Many experts are calling for stricter guidelines and oversight in the submersible industry to ensure that safety is prioritized above all else.