News culture “They broke the rules” More than a year after this disaster, James Cameron is still very angry about the conditions of this exploration of the Titanic

Culture news “They broke the rules” More than a year after this disaster, James Cameron is still very angry about the conditions of this exploration of the Titanic

James Cameron, the famous director of the film “Titanic”, strongly criticized OceanGate for the construction conditions of the Titan submersiblewhich tragically imploded in 2023. Built by OceanGate, a startup led by Stockton Rush, the Titan disintegrated hours after departing to explore the wreck of the Titanic, resulting in the deaths of its five occupants. Cameron accuses the group in an interview with 60 Minutes AustraliaOceanGate of having taken dangerous shortcuts, endangering the lives of passengers who paid exorbitant sums for this expedition. According to him, the company should never have been allowed to transport passengers in such conditions.

Non-compliant materials

The Titan, made of titanium and carbon fiber, did not meet submersible manufacturing standards. Cameron emphasizes that it is crucial to master the technology thoroughly before deviating from it. Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, admitted before the Titan’s last expedition to having “broken rules” to build the submersible. In 2018, the Marine Technology Society’s Manned Underwater Vehicles committee warned Rush of the potential risks of his experimental approach, ranging from minor problems to disasters. These warnings were ignored, leading to tragedy.

I broke some rules to achieve this, I think I broke them with logic and good engineering behind me… carbon fiber and titanium, there is a rule that you don’t do that – well, I did.

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Misdirected research

James Cameron also criticized the way in which the search for the Titan was carried out by the American and Canadian authorities. The Navy and Coast Guard focused on noises interpreted as bangs on the submersible’s hull. Cameron, who himself explored the wreck of the Titanic numerous times, was informed of the implosion by a naval source a few hours after the Titan’s departure. Despite this crucial information, the search continued for days, with desperate efforts to locate the submersible, when authorities probably already knew there were no survivors.

We all knew they were dead. We had already toasted our fallen comrades on Monday evening. James Cameron

In May of this year, the U.S. Coast Guard provided an update stating that the investigation was still in its fact-gathering phase. A spokesperson said an end date for the investigation was not yet planned and a public hearing would be held at a later date., with 60 days’ notice. This process, considered slow and tedious, irritated James Cameron. He interpreted this as a sign that investigators wanted to do things their own way, without consulting outside experts. He claimed they were ashamed and didn’t want outside advice, despite his expertise and desire to help.