Experts agree "Titanic" submersible crew knew they were about to die
A year ago, the deep-sea submersible "Titan" imploded on its way to the wreck of the "Titanic". Now the family of the deceased scientist Paul-Henri Nargeolet is demanding 50 million dollars in compensation.
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- Around a year after the implosion of the deep-sea submersible "Titan" in the North Atlantic, the family of one of the five people who died is demanding 50 million dollars in compensation.
- According to the lawsuit, the US operator "Oceangate" failed to disclose the defects and shortcomings of the submersible or deliberately concealed them.
- In addition, the crew must have been aware of their imminent death. They would have experienced "fear and mental anguish" as a result.
- The operator has so far refused to comment on the lawsuit.
The operator acted with gross negligence, according to a lawsuit filed with a court in Seattle in the US state of Washington on behalf of the relatives of the French scientist Paul-Henri Nargeolet, who died at the time, according to the lawyers appointed.
The 77-year-old Nargeolet was known as "Monsieur Titanic" and was considered one of the leading experts on the wreck of the luxury liner.
The five occupants of the submersible were on an expedition to the "Titanic", which sank in 1912, in June 2023 when the accident occurred. In an implosion, an object suddenly collapses if the external pressure is greater than the internal pressure.
The document presented on Thursday also states that defects and shortcomings of the submersible were not disclosed or were deliberately concealed by US operator Oceangate.
"Fear and mental anguish"
According to US media, the lawsuit against Oceangate and others also states that the crew must have realized at some point that all the occupants would die.
Experts agree that an acoustic signal warned the crew that the hull of the approximately seven-metre-long submersible was in danger of breaking under the extreme pressure. The pilot therefore tried to release weight and abort the dive.
Because this attempt failed and the "Titan" continued to sink, the occupants of the deep-sea submersible must have experienced "fear and mental anguish", the complaint continues. "Common sense dictates that the crew members knew very well before they died that they were going to die."
On board the "Titan" alongside Nargeolet were the British adventurer Hamish Harding (58), the British-Pakistani management consultant Shahzada Dawood (48) and his 19-year-old son Suleman, as well as the head of the US operating company Oceangate, Stockton Rush (61).
"The catastrophic implosion that claimed the life of Paul-Henri Nargeolet was directly attributable to continued carelessness, recklessness and negligence," the statement continues.
"We hope that with this lawsuit we can get answers for the family as to exactly how this happened, who all was involved and how those involved could allow something like this to happen," said Tony Buzbee, one of the lawyers involved in the lawsuit.
The operator has so far declined to comment on the lawsuit, according to the reports.
Diving robot found debris from the submersible
Days after the disappearance of the submersible south of Newfoundland, a diving robot discovered the wreckage of the "Titanic" just 500 meters from the bow of the "Titanic" wreck.
According to experts, everything indicates that the hull of the boat gave way to the enormous water pressure and imploded. The "Titanic" lies on the seabed at a depth of around 3800 meters. The luxury liner sank in 1912, killing more than 1500 people.
Oceangate had offered the deep-sea expeditions to the "Titanic" for around 250,000 dollars per person and had already undertaken them around half a dozen times, but had been confronted with safety concerns from numerous experts right from the start - as only later became public knowledge.
"Titan" had not been inspected, certified or officially approved by any authority or institution for manned deep-sea dives. Standards had been circumvented and warnings disregarded, it was said.
According to Oceangate, it has since ceased all exploration and commercial activities. Investigations into the incident are being conducted by the US Coast Guard and the Canadian Transportation Safety Board, among others.