The OceanGate founder was on board the Titan himself when the diving accident happened. Now a friend of the late CEO is sharing chat histories between the two, including security concerns.
Munich – The submarine disaster surrounding the imploded “Titan” has drawn attention in many parts of the world. In the past few days, the media presence has focused heavily on the search for the five inmates, who are now considered deceased, and their submersible. Now billionaire Jay Bloom, a friend of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who is among those who died in the accident, has revealed chat histories of the two on Facebook. The wife of the late billionaire Hamish Harding also released her husband’s final message after he was killed in the submarine disaster.
Pursue | OceanGate |
Seat | Everett, Wash., USA |
founding | 2009 |
founder | Stockton Rush |
“Decided to share messages”: Friend of crashed submarine occupant shares chat histories
Bloom wrote on Facebook: “I’ve decided to share some of my messages with Stockton Rush.” Accordingly, in February, Rush invited Bloom and his son Sean to accompany him on the diving mission to the Titanic. According to Bloom, the mission should actually take place in May. However, this would have had to be postponed twice due to the weather.
The billionaire has expressed his security concerns – or those of his son – to the OceanGate CEO, whose company operates the “Titan”. From the news, Bloom writes that a friend of his son’s looked up the risks of such a mission and frightened his son. Among other things, there were concerns that a sperm whale could attack the submarine and thus damage the submarine’s hull.
Inmate and friend discuss safety concerns ahead of submarine mission
“Stupid stuff,” Bloom writes about his son’s concerns, and Rush replied, “Yeah, stupid stuff.” Then the CEO tries to convince his buddy and his son again via WhatsApp. “The pressure down there is more than 100 million pounds, no sperm whale or squid is capable of messing with the submarine.” Even the “Titanic” director James Cameron had a bad premonition before the submarine accident. A former occupant of the submarine also described his experience with the “Titan” as “ascension commando”.
He also describes that a helicopter flight or even scuba diving are significantly more dangerous than the Titanic mission. The CEO also stressed that there had never been an incident involving non-military submarines in the past 35 years. Even if Bloom did not seem averse to his son’s doubts – at least to Rush – he explained to the CEO that the two could only go next year due to scheduling reasons.
“Was very wrong”: father and son mourn the deceased submarine occupants
The two’s places went to Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, who apparently only got on the sub for love for his father, “who lost their lives on the trip,” according to Bloom. The last time he saw Stockton in person was on March 1: “He took me through the Titanic exhibition in Luxor. Then we talked about the dive, including safety, over lunch at the Luxor food court.”
Bloom describes the self-confidence Rush had about his project: “He was absolutely convinced that it was safer than crossing the street”. According to this, Bloom is certain “that he really believed what he said. But he was very wrong. He believed passionately in what he was doing.” Bloom mourns the loss of his friend and business partner with his son. He tells his followers: “Nothing is promised in the morning, make the best of today”.
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