Pilot of DoomedTitanSub Wanted to Do First Test Dive by Himself in Case ‘Anything' Happened: Hearing

Mar. 15, 2025

Guillermo Sohnlein, Stockton Rush.Photo:U.S. Coast Guard; EyePress News/Shutterstock

U.S. Coast Guard; EyePress News/Shutterstock

Although much of what’s been said about Rush during the Coast Guard ongoing hearing into the tragedy hasbeen critical, Guillermo Söhnlein, who co-founded OceanGate with Rush in 2009, portrayed Rush in a more positive light.

He said Rush told him he didn’t “want anybody else on that sub.”

As for why he left the company, the businessman said that the decision was made as OceanGate shifted into building submersibles.

“We were transitioning from an operations phase to an engineering phase, and that was really his strength and not mine,” Söhnlein said. “It made sense for him to take the reins of the company.”

U.S. Coast Guard

Earlier in the hearing, former OceanGate operation director David Lochridge didn’t mince words when sharing his views on Rush or the company.

“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” he said at one point, going on to claim that during a 2016 dive, Rush fellinto a “panic”while piloting due to a lack of experience. However, a former OceanGate mission specialist — a title given to paying passengers or observers of the company’s underwater dives — went on torefute that account.

“He must have gone on a different dive,” said Renata Rojas, who was part of the small group of passengers on the dive that day. “Nobody was panicking. Nobody was crying and there was definitely no swearing or yelling.”

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Much like Rojas, although Söhnlein agreed that “five people should not have lost their lives” as a result of theTitanvoyage, he said that he hoped the tragedy won’t be the end for deep sea exploration efforts.

During the hearing, which is expected to end this week, the Coast Guard will “review testimony from technical experts, crew members, and other relevant parties, and will examine evidence related to the submersible’s design, operation, and safety protocols." Afterward, investigators will submit a final report.

source: people.com