Co-founder testifies at Supreme Court hearing on Titan submarine tragedy

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — The co-founder of the company that owns an experimental submarine that imploded en route to the wreck of the Titanic is scheduled to testify Monday before the U.S. Coast Guard as part of its investigation into the maritime disaster.

Businessman Guillermo Sohnlein founded Titan Owner OceanGate with Stockton Rush, who was one of five people who died when the submarine imploded in June 2023. The Coast Guard opened a public hearing earlier this month that is part of a high-level investigation into the cause of the implosion.

Sohnlein left the Washington firm years ago, but spoke in defense of its efforts after the submarine implosion. His testimony is expected to provide a perspective on the firm’s inner workings.

The public hearing began on September 16, with some testimony focusing on the troubled nature of the company. Earlier in the hearing, former OceanGate COO David Lochridge said he often argued with Rush and believed the company was focused solely on making money.

“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” Lochridge testified. “There was very little science involved.”

Other witnesses scheduled to testify Monday include former OceanGate engineering director Phil Brooks and Roy Thomas of the American Bureau of Shipping. The hearing is expected to continue into Friday and include more witnesses.

Lochridge and other witnesses painted a picture of a company in trouble, eager to get its unconventionally designed vessel afloat. The accident sparked a worldwide debate about the future of private offshore exploration.

Coast Guard officials noted early in the hearing that the submarine had not been independently evaluated, which is standard practice. That and the Titan’s unusual design have brought it under scrutiny from the underwater exploration community.

OceanGate, based in Washington state, has suspended operations since the implosion. The company currently has no full-time employees but was represented by an attorney at the hearing.

During the submarine’s final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after exchanging text messages about Titan’s depth and weight as it descended. The Polar Prince support ship then sent several messages asking if Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.

One of the Titan crew’s last messages to the Polar Prince before the submarine imploded was “everything’s fine here,” according to a visual reconstruction presented earlier in the hearing.

When the submarine was reported to be overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. The wreck of the Titan was later found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) from the Titanic’s bow, Coast Guard officials said. There were no survivors.

OceanGate said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB since the investigations began. Titan has been making cruises to the Titanic wreck site since 2021.