OceanGate CEO loses control of thrusters in resurfaced footage

Footage of OceanGate's CEO losing control over the Titan's thrusters has resurfaced online.

The devastating tragedy claimed five lives last month, including CEO Stockton Rush and four passengers. The Titanic expedition lost contact an hour and 45 minutes into the dive, where it was believed to have been 3,500m below sea level. It was later confirmed that the submarine had imploded, with parts of the Titan being recovered in recent weeks.

Now, a snippet from BBC's 2022 documentary The Travel Show has gone viral online.

It shows the pilot Scott Griffith acknowledging the submarine spinning during the launch last year, with Rush trying to identify the problem. Griffith tells passengers, "they checked it, and it seemed good," suggesting that it was the vessel's controls.

"When I'm thrusting forwards, one of the thrusters is thrusting backwards," Rush says. "Now, the only thing I can do right now is a 360."

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He went on to suggest remapping the controller. It was then Rush confessed he was seemingly confused by the remote.

"Yeah, but I don't remember which is up and down," he said. Rush's peer resolved the issue, meaning the expedition could go on. Inevitably, passengers were left terrified.

"I was thinking, we're not going to make it!" Renata Rojas told the documentary. "We're literally 300 meters from Titanic, and although we're in the debris field, we can't go anywhere but go in circles."

It comes after OceanGate ceases all of its expeditions. On the website, a small message in the top-left corner explained: "OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations."

Prior to this, the company was offering Titanic tours with spaces starting from $250,000 (£196,000).

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