OceanGate CEO's friend brags that Stockton Rush "murdered two billionaires"

A tourist submarine operator who claims to have been a “friend” of Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush has said that the Titan submersible was a “mousetrap for billionaires”.

The OceanGate submersible imploded on a trip to see Titanic remains last month, with Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, all losing their lives.

According to a new 60 Minutes Australia investigation, Carl Stanley, who described himself as a friend of Rush, previously warned him about safety risks.

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In a frank interview, Stanley says that Rush "definitely knew it was going to end like this" and bragged that he is likely the first and last person on the planet to simultaneously "murder two billionaires."

“I think Stockton was designing a mousetrap for billionaires,” Stanley told 60 Minutes.

Stanley, who was also one of the first to take part in a Titan test dive in 2019, said that he previously raised concerns about the craft.

“I would say every three to four minutes there [were] loud gunshot-like noises. It's a heck of a sound to hear when you're that far under the ocean. And [in] a craft that has only been down that deep once before,” he said.

Rush was one of the five people who lost their lives after the submersible implodedCBS

Stanley claims that he expressed concerns about the carbon-fibre hull of the craft, as well as Rush’s lack of operating experience, which were both rejected.

“I literally painted a picture of his wrecked sub at the bottom [of the ocean] and even that wasn't enough," Stanley said.

“If someone raised a safety concern[...] they were not only not listened to, they were silenced. That is such a toxic culture when it comes to safety and it's the reverse of everything else I know and the maritime industry.”

He even went as far as to say: “He was risking his life and his customers’ lives to go down in history. He's more famous now [for this] than anything else he would have ever done.”

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