James Cameron acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker and seasoned deep-sea diver, drew parallels between the ill-fated Titanic and the recent disappearance of the Titan submersible during a mission to the Titanic wreck at the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.
In an exclusive interview Cameron, known for directing ‘Titanic’ and designing deep-sea submersibles, confirmed that numerous warnings had been directed at OceanGate about the risks of transporting passengers in a non-certified sub.
“Many members of the deep-submergence engineering community expressed serious concerns about this submersible. Several notable figures even penned letters to OceanGate, arguing that their actions were too experimental and risky to involve passengers. They emphasized the need for certification,” Cameron remarked.
With his extensive experience with 33 dives to the Titanic wreck and his immersion in submersible design, Cameron stated, “I’ve designed and crafted submersibles capable of reaching the ocean’s deepest points, three times deeper than the Titanic. I comprehend the engineering challenges and critical safety protocols in constructing such vehicles. It’s crucial to understand that deep submergence diving is a mature discipline.”
“No one has perished in deep-submergence incidents since the early 1960s, a longer safety record than from the first flight at Kitty Hawk to the introduction of the Boeing 747,” he added.
“The parallels between the Titanic disaster and this incident are striking. The Titanic’s captain ignored repeated warnings about ice and charged full steam ahead into an ice field on a moonless night, leading to numerous deaths. Unheeded warnings have led to a similar tragedy at the same site. This is astonishing and surreal, considering the countless global diving operations,” Cameron pointed out.
He also remembered his friend Paul-Henri (PH) Nargeolet tragically died in the submersible’s implosion. “The tragic manner of his death is almost incomprehensible,” Cameron confessed.
All five passengers on the ill-fated Titan sub, including OceanGate Expeditions founder and CEO Stockton Rush, British billionaire Hamish Harding, esteemed French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood with his 19-year-old son Suleman, were confirmed dead following the submersible’s implosion near the Titanic wreck site, as reported by authorities on Thursday.
