Renowned filmmaker James Cameron, famous for directing the blockbuster film Titanic, has voiced his criticism of the engineering behind the ill-fated Titan submersible, labelling its design as “fundamentally flawed.”
During an interview with ABC News, Cameron, who himself designs submersibles capable of diving to depths three times greater than the Titanic site, expressed his belief that OceanGate Expedition’s vessel should not have been constructed using carbon fibre.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, one of the five passengers who tragically lost their lives aboard the Titan submersible that vanished on Sunday, defended the use of carbon fibre back in 2017, citing its advantages of being lighter, more cost-effective, and easier to transport while still maintaining durability under pressure. Typically, submersibles are constructed using materials like titanium or steel, known for their ability to withstand the immense pressures of the underwater environment.
Cameron, aged 68, revealed that members of the “small” deep-diving community had been expressing concerns about safety flaws in the Titan’s design ever since Rush boasted about the incorporation of carbon fibre in the hull. Numerous “very concerned” engineers and deep-sea divers reportedly sent letters to OceanGate, urging them to recognize that the Titan was too experimental to carry human passengers.
The Titan set off on Sunday but was reported overdue that same afternoon, approximately 700 kilometres south of St. John’s, N.L. This prompted an extensive search involving organizations from both the United States and Canada.
On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard announced the discovery of debris on the ocean floor. Authorities confirmed that all five individuals aboard the submersible—Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, his son Suleman Dawood, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Rush, the vessel’s pilot—had perished when the Titan imploded.
Drawing a chilling parallel, Cameron stated to ABC News, “I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship, and yet, he steamed up full speed into an ice field on a moonless night. And many people died as a result. It’s a very similar tragedy where warnings went unheeded to take place at the same exact site…”
In a separate interview with the BBC, Cameron further criticized the construction of the Titan, accusing the company of “cutting corners.” He asserted that OceanGate did not certify the submersible because “they knew they wouldn’t pass.”
Having completed 33 diving voyages to the Titanic wreck, Cameron affirmed that he would not have boarded the Titan submersible.
Upon learning that the Titan had lost communication on Sunday, Cameron shared with the BBC that he “felt in my bones what had happened.” He declared, “For the sub’s electronics to fail and its communication system to fail, and its tracking transponder to fail simultaneously – sub’s gone.”
Experts had previously warned that the Titan submersible did not adhere to industry safety standards.
Reflecting on the days-long search for the submersible, Cameron described it as a “prolonged and nightmarish charade” because he and others within the deep-diving community suspected that both the vessel and its passengers were lost.
“In the 21st century, there shouldn’t be any risks,” Cameron emphasized. “We’ve managed to make it through 60 years, from 1960 until today, 63 years without a fatality… So, you know, one of the saddest aspects of this is how preventable it really was.”
According to Cameron, deep submergence diving is a “mature art,” and he highlighted a series of safety concerns that were raised regarding the Titan. The Titan, a 22-foot submersible that set sail from St. John’s in Newfoundland, Canada, on June 16, became the subject of these apprehensions.
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