It has been nearly two years since OceanGate’s Titan Submarine imploded in the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean. As new footage surfaces, it shows CEO Stockton Rush’s wife reacting “What was that bang”, not knowing her husband had been crushed inside the Titan submersible, also killing all five passengers on board.
The submarine lost communication 90 minutes into the dive from its mother ship in June 2023. The expedition site, near the ruins of the Titanic, was nearly 3,800m deep. On board were OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, veteran French diver Paul Henri Nargeolet, the British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman.
NEW: Coast Guard releases footage of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush's wife unknowingly reacting to the de*th of her husband, who was crumpled alive in the Titan submersible.
"What's that bang?" Wendy Rush was heard asking.
According to the Coast Guard's investigation, the Titan's… pic.twitter.com/PajjRUFxMq
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 23, 2025
As per the revelations of the Coast Guard investigation, the Titan’s carbon fiber shell started breaking apart during a previous mission to the Titanic. This “separation into layers,” is a process called delamination. “Delamination at dive 80 was the beginning of the end,” said US Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Katie Williams. “Everyone that stepped onboard the Titan after dive 80 was risking their life.” Clothing belonging to Rush was found in the wreckage, including business cards.
OceanGate had paid the passengers to visit the Titan Submersible. However, Before the deadly dive, deep-sea experts and some former OceanGate employees had voiced concerns about the Titan’s design. One even called it an “abomination” and claimed the tragedy was “inevitable.” A major issue was that Titan had never been independently certified for safety. Critics were especially worried about its hull, the part of the sub that housed passengers, which was constructed from layers of carbon fiber combined with resin becoming the main cause of the delamination as it is one of the most unreliable materials under pressure. A final investigation report is expected to be released later this year by the USCG.