US Coast Guard Report on Titan Submersible Implosion Singles Out OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush

The US Coast Guard’s Marine Board of Investigation released a critical report on the 2023 Titan submersible implosion, placing primary responsibility on OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush for numerous technical and managerial failures. The report accuses Rush of repeatedly misrepresenting the Titan as indestructible and highlights significant discrepancies between OceanGate’s written safety protocols and actual practices. The investigation, chaired by Jason Neubauer, emphasized that Rush’s leadership style fostered a toxic workplace environment that discouraged employees from raising safety concerns. Notably, the Titan was not registered, inspected, or certified by any recognized authority, and Rush allegedly lied about the submersible’s specifications during his Coast Guard credential application. The report details multiple technical flaws with the Titan’s innovative carbon fiber hull, including a history of operational failures such as a titanium dome detaching in 2021 and exposure to freezing conditions that could degrade the composite material. It suggests the fatal implosion at approximately 3,000 meters depth was likely caused by either