- A former advisor to OceanGate has revealed that the Titan submersible dropped its weights before imploding on June 18.
- According to Rob McCallum, the sub attempted to ascend before its connection to the mother ship was severed.
- McCallum’s account supports the claim that the dive was aborted before the disaster occurred.
The former advisor of OceanGate, Rob McCallum, has revealed that the Titan submersible dropped its ballast and attempted to ascend just moments before it went missing. This suggests that the five individuals inside were already aborting the dive when the sub imploded.
McCallum, who provided advice to OceanGate on marketing and logistics, shared this information with The New Yorker. He received early reports on the Titan’s final dive, stating, “The report that I got immediately after the event — long before they were overdue — was that the sub was approaching thirty-five hundred meters.”
McCallum confirmed that the submersible dropped weights, aborting the dive, and subsequently lost communication with its mother ship.
McCallum is known for being the co-founder of adventure expedition company EYOS Expeditions. He has previously led dives to the Titanic’s shipwreck and other deep-sea locations. Unlike OceanGate’s submersible, his vessel is approved by the marine-classification society DNV to reach extreme depths.
McCallum had regular contact with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and visited the company’s workshop, making him at least the second person to publicly state that the Titan likely attempted to ascend before imploding.
Furthermore, film director James Cameron also told ABC News that he heard from insiders that the Titan dropped its weights and the occupants were trying to manage an emergency. The incident occurred on June 18 when the submersible lost contact with its mother ship during a journey to the Titanic shipwreck at a depth of 13,000 feet.
Given the immense pressure at such depths, it is likely that the Titan imploded with great force, resulting in the instantaneous death of those inside without any realization of the hull collapse.
Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the implosion, and it remains unclear how much the passengers knew about the impending danger or if they received any advance warning of the hull failure.
Nevertheless, Cameron’s and McCallum’s accounts indicate that at least one person onboard knew something was wrong and decided to abort the dive for reasons that are still unknown.
It is believed that Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s CEO, was piloting the submersible at the time of the incident and likely in charge of the dive.
Prior to this incident, OceanGate had previously aborted dives with the Titan due to issues such as the loss of propulsion systems or detached floats. In fact, the company has aborted more dives than it has completed with the Titan.
Former passengers have also reported regular hiccups like battery and ballast system failures with the Titan.
Recent photos show authorities retrieving debris from the Titan at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
OceanGate has not yet responded to requests for comment outside of regular business hours.
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