OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush Wanted to Join 'Titanic Mythology' Before Sub Imploded, Friend Claims

OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who perished along with four others when the Titan submersible imploded en route to the Titanic wreck, allegedly intended for the vessel to fail as a means of becoming part of "Titanic mythology," according to a friend.

Karl Stanley, a commercial submersible expert and acquaintance of Rush, made the assertion in the new book "Submersed: Wonder, Obsession and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines" by Matthew Gavin Frank. Stanley told Frank that Rush's ambition was to be the central figure in the narrative of the Titanic, even at the cost of his own life and those of his passengers.

"He wanted to go [die] at the wreck [of Titanic]," Stanley reportedly said. "The more high-profile, the better. He didn’t just murder four wealthy people and get paid a cool mill to do it—they are all part of the Titanic mythology."

The Titan submersible lost contact with its support ship on June 18, 2023, during its descent to view the Titanic wreckage in the North Atlantic. A subsequent search located debris four days later, confirming the submersible had imploded and killing all five individuals aboard: Rush, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Hamish Harding, and Shahzada and Suleman Dawood.

Passengers paid as much as $250,000 for the expedition. A U.S. Coast Guard investigation later concluded that the incident was preventable.

Frank's book also notes that the submersible's name, Titan, was intentionally chosen, referencing the doomed ocean liner in Morgan Robertson's 1898 novel "Futility." The novel features a fictional ship named "Titan" that sinks after hitting an iceberg, a parallel to the fate of the actual Titanic.

"According to Stanley, in order to extend, and to be a part of this larger story, Rush needed to compel more than just his own death, and he needed to knowingly fabricate a 'futile' vessel, costumed in a titanic name, as his murder weapon," Frank wrote.

When asked by Frank if Rush knew the sub would implode and intended it to, Stanley stated, "I know this is what happened."

Stanley further alleged that many OceanGate employees were aware of the potential dangers of the Titan. "Most everyone who worked for the company knew what was going to happen," he claimed.

Brandi Young, a former federal and state prosecutor, commented to Fox News Digital that proving a first-degree murder charge against Rush would have been challenging due to his own presence on the doomed voyage. She suggested that a manslaughter charge might have been more plausible, citing the "reckless, extreme disregard" for human life.

"You have a lot of direct evidence of just the pure recklessness of someone going forward with complete disregard for the other human life," Young said.