The co-founder and former CEO of OceanGate said the company originally never planned to build its own submersibles while testifying during a hearing on the deadly implosion of its Titan sub.Guillermo Sohnlein co-founded OceanGate in 2009 with Stockton Rush, who was one of the five people killed in a catastrophic implosion while on a deep-sea voyage to see the Titanic wreckage in June 2023.He left the company in 2013, years before OceanGate began conducting dives to the Titanic with the Titan, an experimental, unclassified vessel.MORE: 'All good here': Last messages revealed from Titan submersible before implosion: Coast GuardWhile testifying on Monday during the U.S.
Coast Guard's two-week hearing on the implosion, Sohnlein said when they founded the company, "developing our own subs was not in the original plans."He said their vision was to acquire a fleet of deep-diving submersibles that could carry five people up to 6,000 meters that would be available for charter.They didn't want the subs to require a dedicated mothership or support ship so that they could easily go anywhere in the world and operate off any ship.OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein testifies at the Titan marine board of investigation hearing Sept.
23, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C.ABC NewsHe said most active commercial submersibles dive relatively shallow -- less than 1,000 meters -- limiting how much of the ocean can be explored."We wanted to change that," Sohnlein said."We wanted to give humanity greater access to the ocean -- and specifically the deep ocean, anything deeper than 1,000 meters."OceanGate pivots to building own submersible using carbon fiberSohnlein said they eventually realized they would need to build their own submersible to achieve that business model."If you think about our business requirements of being able to carry five people 6,000 meters without a dedicated mothership deployable anywhere in the world -- none of the sub builders could really do that," he said.
"T...