Relatives of an explorer who died on a submersible that imploded while diving to the Titanic shipwreck have sued the company that operated the craft, alleging it is responsible for his death and the implosion.
Officials with OceanGate, the company, were warned that the sub, Titan, was not equipped to dive to the Titanic in part because it was constructed of carbon fiber, not the titanium typically used by builders, according to the wrongful death lawsuit from relatives of Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
Other components of the craft, including its porthole, were also not built to withstand the immense pressure the sub would face in going down to the Titanic, according to the filing.
Nargeolet, known as Mr. Titanic for his repeated dives to the wreckage of the Titanic, joined OceanGate after being given the impression by owner R.S. Rush III that Boeing had helped develop Titan, his family says.
Boeing has since said it did not assist in the Titan development.
“In short, neither Rush nor OceanGate ever fully or accurately disclosed all of the material facts regarding Titan’s design and construction to decedent Nargeolet. On the contrary, Rush and OceanGate actively fostered Nargeolet’s (and others’) false impressions about the safety and seaworthiness of the vessel,” according to the suit.
Electroimpact, Janicki Industries, and Hydrospace Group, which helped build parts of Titan and were named as defendants, did not respond to requests for comment.
OceanGate, which stopped operations after the implosion, Rush’s estate, and Tony Nissen, OceanGate’s one-time director of engineering, could not be reached.
Nargeolet’s family is seeking more than $50 million from the defendants, including OceanGate and Rush’s estate.
“The lawsuit alleges serious issues with the Titan submersible,” Tony Buzbee, one of the lawyers representing the family, said in a statement. “I think it is telling that even though the University of Washington and Boeing had key roles in the design of previous but similar versions of the Titan, both have recently disclaimed any involvement at all in the submersible model that imploded. We are hopeful that through this lawsuit we can get answers for the family as to exactly how this happened, who all were involved, and how those involved could allow this to happen.”
The sub imploded in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland on June 18, 2023, killing Rush, Nargeolet, and three passengers.
An earlier lawsuit, from a former employee of OceanGate, said the worker flagged concerns about the sub’s carbon fiber hull and was fired afterward.
Lochbridge also said he learned that the viewport was only built to withstand pressure of 1,300 meters, even though the Titanic rests at a depth of about three times that pressure.
OceanGate has called Lochbridge’s claims false.
