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Tourist sub taking groups to look at Titanic wreckage goes missing
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Missing OceanGate CEO was sued for FRAUD by Florida couple who accused him of taking $210,000 to see Titanic wreck when he knew the vessel was not ready
Marc and Sharon Hagle, who made their fortune in commercial real estate, decided while visiting the South Pole to make their next adventure underwater
A Florida couple sued the CEO of Titanic tourism company OceanGate Expeditions, accusing him of misleading them about their trip to visit the wreck and refusing to refund their $210,258 when they complained.
Marc and Sharon Hagle, who made their fortune in commercial real estate, are well known for their philanthropy and their adventurous spirit. In March 2022, they were on the fourth Blue Origin passenger space flight and became the first married couple to become space tourists.
In 2016, while on a trip to the South Pole, they decided their next adventure would be underwater. In 2017 they were announced as among the first customers for OceanGate, which was founded in 2009 by Seattle-born aviator and businessman Stockton Rush, now 61.
But they never got to take their trip, and in February this year sued Rush, accusing him of selling the adventure knowing it was not on schedule, and refusing to refund their cash.
Marc Hagle, 74, and his wife Sharon, 73, went to space on Blue Origin's fourth trip, in March 2022. They intended to visit the Titanic wreck with OceanGate, and paid in 2017, but sued in February this year for fraud.
The Hagles claim that Rush, a Princeton-educated engineer and pilot with a MBA from Berkeley, traveled to their home in Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando, Florida, to convince them to buy in to his company.
The submersible he intended to use was named Cyclops 2 at the time - it has since been renamed Titan.
'During their September 27, 2017 meeting, Rush made several false statements of material fact to Plaintiffs, including, without limitation: (a) regarding the status of development and testing of Cyclops 2 as of that date, (b) that Cyclops 2 would be ready to dive on the Titanic by June of 2018,' the suit, obtained by The Daily Beast, reads.
'(c) if plaintiffs had any questions or concerns as to the integrity of Cyclops 2 and/or the timing of the expedition if it were to be delayed, they could request, and would receive, a full refund of all monies paid with no questions asked, and (d) plaintiffs' deposits were, and any future payments by plaintiffs would be, held in a dedicated client escrow account separate from his or OceanGate's funds.'
They claim the trip was postponed by a year three separate times, due to testing requirements and unspecified 'equipment failure.'
They said their money was not - as had been promised - kept in a separate account, where they could recover it.
The company allegedly told the Hagles they could join a 2021 mission to the Titanic's sunken hull, but not get a refund.
They argued that Rush violated state fraud and unfair and deceptive practices statutes.
The Hagles are seeking the return of their money, as well as attorneys fees and other reimbursement for their pains. it's unclear the status of the lawsuit
'Given the willful, wanton, and egregious nature of Rush's conduct, plaintiffs reserve the right to seek to have punitive damages awarded herein,' the complaint states.
Marc Hagle, asked about the suit, told The Daily Beast: 'My thoughts go out to the owners of Oceangate, the people that are on the submersible, both the crew and the guests.
'And we're hoping for a miracle and that everybody comes home safely.
'I think the pleadings speak for themselves.'
OceanGate, asked about the case, said: 'Our entire focus is on the wellbeing of the crew and every step possible is being taken to bring the five crew members back safely.'
It emerged on Tuesday that OceanGate's safety record had been questioned by an industry body.
A 2018 letter to Rush, obtained by the New York Times, warned that 'the current 'experimental' approach' of the company could result in problems 'from minor to catastrophic.'
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Marc and Sharon Hagle, who made their fortune in commercial real estate, decided while visiting the South Pole to make their next adventure underwater
A Florida couple sued the CEO of Titanic tourism company OceanGate Expeditions, accusing him of misleading them about their trip to visit the wreck and refusing to refund their $210,258 when they complained.
Marc and Sharon Hagle, who made their fortune in commercial real estate, are well known for their philanthropy and their adventurous spirit. In March 2022, they were on the fourth Blue Origin passenger space flight and became the first married couple to become space tourists.
In 2016, while on a trip to the South Pole, they decided their next adventure would be underwater. In 2017 they were announced as among the first customers for OceanGate, which was founded in 2009 by Seattle-born aviator and businessman Stockton Rush, now 61.
But they never got to take their trip, and in February this year sued Rush, accusing him of selling the adventure knowing it was not on schedule, and refusing to refund their cash.
Marc Hagle, 74, and his wife Sharon, 73, went to space on Blue Origin's fourth trip, in March 2022. They intended to visit the Titanic wreck with OceanGate, and paid in 2017, but sued in February this year for fraud.
The Hagles claim that Rush, a Princeton-educated engineer and pilot with a MBA from Berkeley, traveled to their home in Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando, Florida, to convince them to buy in to his company.
The submersible he intended to use was named Cyclops 2 at the time - it has since been renamed Titan.
'During their September 27, 2017 meeting, Rush made several false statements of material fact to Plaintiffs, including, without limitation: (a) regarding the status of development and testing of Cyclops 2 as of that date, (b) that Cyclops 2 would be ready to dive on the Titanic by June of 2018,' the suit, obtained by The Daily Beast, reads.
'(c) if plaintiffs had any questions or concerns as to the integrity of Cyclops 2 and/or the timing of the expedition if it were to be delayed, they could request, and would receive, a full refund of all monies paid with no questions asked, and (d) plaintiffs' deposits were, and any future payments by plaintiffs would be, held in a dedicated client escrow account separate from his or OceanGate's funds.'
They claim the trip was postponed by a year three separate times, due to testing requirements and unspecified 'equipment failure.'
They said their money was not - as had been promised - kept in a separate account, where they could recover it.
The company allegedly told the Hagles they could join a 2021 mission to the Titanic's sunken hull, but not get a refund.
They argued that Rush violated state fraud and unfair and deceptive practices statutes.
The Hagles are seeking the return of their money, as well as attorneys fees and other reimbursement for their pains. it's unclear the status of the lawsuit
'Given the willful, wanton, and egregious nature of Rush's conduct, plaintiffs reserve the right to seek to have punitive damages awarded herein,' the complaint states.
Marc Hagle, asked about the suit, told The Daily Beast: 'My thoughts go out to the owners of Oceangate, the people that are on the submersible, both the crew and the guests.
'And we're hoping for a miracle and that everybody comes home safely.
'I think the pleadings speak for themselves.'
OceanGate, asked about the case, said: 'Our entire focus is on the wellbeing of the crew and every step possible is being taken to bring the five crew members back safely.'
It emerged on Tuesday that OceanGate's safety record had been questioned by an industry body.
A 2018 letter to Rush, obtained by the New York Times, warned that 'the current 'experimental' approach' of the company could result in problems 'from minor to catastrophic.'
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Cyclic Fatigue? Ya think?
Now that I've read this thread in its entirety...
If even ONE of these alleged shortcuts were taken, that's enough to damn the whole shebang. The apparently 1,200 meter rated viewport probably failed due to - you guessed it - cyclic Fatigue. That is, if something else they took shortcuts on didn't fail first. I worked for a Deep Submergence outfit for 23 years, and I PERSONALLY designed and built a joystick controller for our flagship submersible. This controller was used only on the surface, the submersible was a tethered ROV - so even though correct operation of the controller was critical, it was several orders of magnitude LESS critical than a controller used in a manned vehicle. If I remember correctly, ONE joystick cost almost $1,000 in 1995 money - in other words, you do NOT FUCKING USE MASS PRODUCED CONSUMER GRADE CRAP in these scenarios. The fucking 4,000 meter rated connectors on the ROV cost $20,000 EACH. In 1995 dollars. And on, and on, and on. One of my co-workers was a "wheel" with the Marine Technology Society.
Alvin is probably the only manned DSV within reach of this disaster - not that they could do much from inside same. Those poor bastards.
Now I understand my late Father-in-law, who worked on the Apollo program - he designed a dingus for the first stage rocket. When the whole Apollo 13 crisis was unfolding, upon finding out the air scrubbers used two different filters, he had an absolute conniption fit! From my wife's recollection, it started with "What horse's ass..." and went downhill from there.
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At the depths they went in a janky vehicle, I think the likely scenario is there was a compromise and everyone got smashed by the water pressure. Assuming a fatal outcome, that would be preferable to me than suffocating over 40+ hours as it's instant.
Agreed - catastrophic, instantaneous crushing is much preferred. I wonder if they will find any remnants if that is what happened though.
From a utube vidya I watched the CEO seemed to care more about DEI (don't need old white guys who know what they're doing) than the safety of his customers. The saddest part is that he took four others down with him.
Not sure if anybody mentioned already, but the USCG confirmed banging sounds heard in the area.
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More like the "Explorers Club"
From below article:
Richard Garriot de Cayeux, President of The Explorers Club, confirmed in a Tuesday night social media post that 'there is cause for hope.'
'Likely signs of life have been detected': Rescue plane hunting Titanic sub with five on board 'hears banging' every 30 minutes near wreck site, giving 'hope' the men are ALIVE - but redirected drones fail to find missing vessel
- Canadian aircraft picked up banging sounds near the disappearance site
- Rescuers are trying to locate the sub that went missing on its way to the Titanic
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...Heard-Banging-Area-Internal-Comms-Reveal.html
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Titan Five's 'last chance' rescue machinery is flown into Canada airport on colossal US cargo planes... but face 15-hour race across Atlantic and will get to area of missing sub just as emergency air runs out
A battery of heavy machinery and submarines dubbed the 'last chance' for the crew of the Titan tourist submarine arrived in Canada tonight - but it now faces a race against time to help rescuers in the desperate search.
The array of winches, cables and unmanned vehicles capable of going 19,000 feet underwater were delivered to St John’s airport in Newfoundland by three US Air Force cargo planes.
It was taken with a police escort to the port where a waiting ship, the Horizon Arctic, was due to set sail at midnight.
But with the 15-hour sea journey to the search area where five people were trapped underwater, it will arrive perilously close to the time when the Titan will run out of air.
The desperate hunt for the five men trapped on the lost Titan submersible has entered its make-or-break day as more ships set up above the Titanic wreck with time quickly running out to pull off the deepest undersea rescue mission ever.
Three C-17 aircraft from the US Air Force - which are thought to have flown in from North Carolina and New Jersey - landed at a cargo terminal in St John’s where they were met by six waiting flatbed trucks
The supplies is pictured being loaded onto the Horizon Arctic
One load contained a shipping crate with the words ‘Pelagic Research Services’ - the Massachusetts based company specializes in deep sea rescue tools.
In a statement on its website the company said it was providing ‘critical support’ to the rescue effort. The company said: ‘Currently, PRS is in the process of mobilization as quickly and as safely as possible to assist in the search and rescue effort.
‘PRS is committed to helping bring the best possible outcome to this situation. Our sincere thoughts and wishes are with all the families, friends, and rescue personnel of those affected by this emergency.'
The company did not specify what it was sending but among its craft are the Odysseus 6K, which is capable of going to a depth of 6,000 meters, or 19,000 feet.
According to the company’s website, the control room is built into a shipping crate, which appears to tally with what was being loaded onto the Horizon Atlantic.
Earlier, three Customs and Border agents were seen speaking to the truck drivers and the cargo is understood to have been rushed through so it could get on its way.
A crowd of onlookers formed at the airport taking photos with one saying to his friend: ‘The cavalry is coming.'
Continued
A battery of heavy machinery and submarines dubbed the 'last chance' for the crew of the Titan tourist submarine arrived in Canada tonight - but it now faces a race against time to help rescuers in the desperate search.
The array of winches, cables and unmanned vehicles capable of going 19,000 feet underwater were delivered to St John’s airport in Newfoundland by three US Air Force cargo planes.
It was taken with a police escort to the port where a waiting ship, the Horizon Arctic, was due to set sail at midnight.
But with the 15-hour sea journey to the search area where five people were trapped underwater, it will arrive perilously close to the time when the Titan will run out of air.
The desperate hunt for the five men trapped on the lost Titan submersible has entered its make-or-break day as more ships set up above the Titanic wreck with time quickly running out to pull off the deepest undersea rescue mission ever.
Three C-17 aircraft from the US Air Force - which are thought to have flown in from North Carolina and New Jersey - landed at a cargo terminal in St John’s where they were met by six waiting flatbed trucks
The supplies is pictured being loaded onto the Horizon Arctic
One load contained a shipping crate with the words ‘Pelagic Research Services’ - the Massachusetts based company specializes in deep sea rescue tools.
In a statement on its website the company said it was providing ‘critical support’ to the rescue effort. The company said: ‘Currently, PRS is in the process of mobilization as quickly and as safely as possible to assist in the search and rescue effort.
‘PRS is committed to helping bring the best possible outcome to this situation. Our sincere thoughts and wishes are with all the families, friends, and rescue personnel of those affected by this emergency.'
The company did not specify what it was sending but among its craft are the Odysseus 6K, which is capable of going to a depth of 6,000 meters, or 19,000 feet.
According to the company’s website, the control room is built into a shipping crate, which appears to tally with what was being loaded onto the Horizon Atlantic.
Earlier, three Customs and Border agents were seen speaking to the truck drivers and the cargo is understood to have been rushed through so it could get on its way.
A crowd of onlookers formed at the airport taking photos with one saying to his friend: ‘The cavalry is coming.'
Continued
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US Coast Guard says underwater noises detected in search for missing submersible
The US Coast Guard has confirmed a Canadian aircraft involved in the search for a missing submersible in the North Atlantic has detected underwater noises in the search area.
Several US media outlets are reporting sonar-detected banging in 30-minute intervals, citing an internal government memo, during the search for the submersible that was on a trip to see the wreckage of the Titanic.
The discovery on Tuesday led search teams to relocate their underwater robotic search operations "in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises," the Coast Guard said in a series of tweets early on Wednesday.
The newly relocated searches by ROV (remotely operated vehicles) came up empty handed but will continue, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard did not detail the nature or extent of the sounds that were detected, or how they were picked up.
The US Coast Guard has confirmed a Canadian aircraft involved in the search for a missing submersible in the North Atlantic has detected underwater noises in the search area.
Several US media outlets are reporting sonar-detected banging in 30-minute intervals, citing an internal government memo, during the search for the submersible that was on a trip to see the wreckage of the Titanic.
The discovery on Tuesday led search teams to relocate their underwater robotic search operations "in an attempt to explore the origin of the noises," the Coast Guard said in a series of tweets early on Wednesday.
The newly relocated searches by ROV (remotely operated vehicles) came up empty handed but will continue, the Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard did not detail the nature or extent of the sounds that were detected, or how they were picked up.
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