The chilling moment Wendy Rush heard the fatal implosion of the Titan submersible before trying to contact the doomed crew.
OceanGate CEO’s wife heard implosion without knowing
Newly released footage from the U.S. Coast Guard has revealed a haunting moment in the Titan sub disaster.
The footage showed Wendy Rush, wife of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, smiling moments before the Titan submersible imploded. She asked, “What was that bang?” just before the disaster.
The catastrophic event killed her husband and four others onboard during a descent to the Titanic wreck.
Newly released footage showed Mrs. Rush aboard the support vessel, monitoring the submersible’s dive.
After hearing a noise like a “door slamming,” she turns and asks a team member about the sound.
Moments later, she received a delayed text indicating the sub had dropped ballast weights. At the time, this seemed routine.
Investigators now believe the message was sent seconds before the implosion. It only arrived later due to acoustic interference caused by the catastrophic failure.
This moment is now key evidence in the ongoing investigation into the disaster.
The Titan sub imploded around 90 minutes into its descent
The submersible imploded roughly 90 minutes after beginning its dive, 3,700 meters deep in the North Atlantic Ocean. The wreckage was later found approximately 330 yards from the Titanic’s bow. The victims included:
Stockton Rush, OceanGate CEO and co-founder
Hamish Harding, British billionaire explorer
Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, Pakistani father and son
Paul-Henri Nargeolet, French Titanic expert
Final messages and audio reveal tragedy
One of the last communications from the crew stated, “All good here,” before contact was lost.
A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration device captured the “suspected acoustic signature” of the implosion, about 900 miles away, confirming the vessel’s catastrophic failure.
The eerie recording is the most recent evidence uncovered after the doomed expedition. It has prompted a major investigation into the incident’s cause, OceanGate’s internal practices, and broader industry safety standards.
Safety concerns about the Titan sub were raised years before the disaster but were dismissed by CEO Stockton Rush.
Previously, Karl Stanley, a submersible pilot, testified that he warned Stockton Rush in 2019 about structural cracks and safety flaws.
Rush, however, dismissed those concerns.
David Lochridge, former marine operations director for Titan.
He also urged thorough testing and hull scans but was removed from the company after raising concerns.
According to Stanley, Rush prioritized “leaving his mark on history” over passenger safety. He described OceanGate’s business plan as flawed. Stanley also claimed that calling passengers “mission specialists” was a tactic to bypass regulations.
OceanGate faced internal safety disputes
Experts criticized OceanGate’s “experimental” methods and use of a video game controller to operate the submersible.
Amber Bay, OceanGate’s administration director, acknowledged the urgency to meet customers’ expectations but insisted the company would not risk unsafe dives.
Bay expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, stating she thinks daily of the victims and their families.
“There was urgency to fulfill what we offered,” she said, before breaking down in tears while recalling the victims. “Not a day passes that I don’t think of them.”
OceanGate suspended operations after the incident and currently has no full-time employees. The company is cooperating with authorities as investigations continue into the implosion, safety protocols, and regulatory oversight.