Last year, on June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible imploded during a dive to the Titanic wreckage, killing all five people on board, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. In this WIRED story, Mark Harris sheds light on the development of the company’s submersible technology and the events leading up to the tragedy, sharing information from internal OceanGate emails, documents, and photographs. It’s clear, from the tens of thousands of pieces of evidence, that in his quest to conquer the deep sea, Rush cut corners financially and viewed tests and safety practices as hurdles that stifled innovation.
Titan reached a similar depth again in April, with a crew of four including Rush. While OceanGate touted the dive as history-making proof of its submersible’s bona fides, even Rush was getting worried about loud noises the hull was making at depth. Then on June 7, three weeks before Titan’s maiden voyage to the Titanic, an OceanGate pilot inspecting the interior with a flashlight noticed a crack in the hull. He sent Rush an email warning that the crack was “pretty serious.” A detailed internal report later showed that at least 11 square feet of carbon fiber had delaminated—meaning the bonds between layers had separated.
This time, Rush couldn’t ignore the data. The hull that was meant to last for 10,000 dives to the Titanic had made fewer than 50—and only three to 4,000 meters. It would have to be scrapped, and the Titanic missions would be delayed for yet another year.
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