The co-founder of OceanGate has shared the heartbreaking moment he was told that debris from the Titanic submersible had been discovered.
During an interview with BBC, Guillermo Sohnlein – the co-founder of OceanGate Expeditions – was informed that debris from the vessel called Titan had been found on the ocean floor.
“I’m sorry, some what has been found?” he asked – shocked by the news.
The BBC journalist then said that he was just told about the debris and knew nothing more.
Sohnlein could not hide his emotions as he knew that finding debris meant Titan may have imploded.
“I’m not sure (what the debris is) because I’m hearing this for the first time but I know that the protocol for lost comms is for the pilot to surface the sub. From the beginning I always thought that’s probably what Stockton would have done,” he said.
“In which case it becomes very difficult to find the sub because the surface ship wouldn’t have known it was coming up and wouldn’t have known where to look.”
Sohnlein added: “My biggest fear through this whole thing watching the operations unfold is that they’re floating around on the surface and they’re just very difficult to find.”
It was then confirmed that the debris was from the Titan submersible.
In a heartbreaking statement, Titan sub operator OceanGate said: “We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.”
The statement added: “Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.
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