Wendy Rush, the wife of OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush, was left stunned when she heard a loud bang during the descent of the Titan submersible, unaware it marked the moment the vessel imploded. New footage from the US Coast Guard shows her trying to reach those on board as the Titan made its way to the Titanic wreck site in June 2023.
Tragically, all five people aboard the Titan died in the incident. This included Stockton Rush, British adventurer Hamish Harding, French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood along with his 19-year-old son, Suleman. The Coast Guard video captures Wendy Rush and her colleague Gary Foss monitoring the Titan’s journey from the support vessel, Polar Prince. After the sound of the implosion, Wendy Rush asked, "What was that bang?" The Coast Guard later explained that this noise, resembling a door slamming, was likely the sound of the Titan’s catastrophic failure reaching the surface.
In the moments following the implosion, Wendy received a message from the Titan reporting that it had dropped two weights. The team assumed the sub was still descending, but investigators later determined that this message had been sent before the sub’s failure.
This footage is now part of the evidence being reviewed by the US Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation, which is looking into the tragedy. A final report will be released after the investigation wraps up.
The Titan imploded about 90 minutes into its dive on June 18, 2023. After five days of searching, the wreckage was found on the ocean floor, roughly 500 meters from the Titanic’s bow. The passengers had paid to see the iconic ship, which lies about 3,800 meters below the surface.
Concerns about the Titan’s design and Stockton Rush’s refusal to allow independent safety checks have surfaced since the disaster. The investigation revealed that the Titan had malfunctioned just days before the fatal dive. In response to the tragedy, OceanGate suspended all exploration and commercial operations in July 2023.
As the investigation continues, the families of those lost are left to grapple with the tragedy and the unanswered questions surrounding the Titan’s final journey.