The Narrow Escape: Why a Professor Backed Out of the Doomed Titan Submersible Dive
Hey, so here’s a story that’s been making the rounds and it’s honestly chilling when you think about it. There was this professor, Jim Kitchen, from the University of North Carolina, who was actually supposed to be on the Titan submersible — the same one that tragically imploded back in June 2023, killing five people including the OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. But here’s the twist: Jim backed out at the very last minute, and it all happened during the safety briefing.
Jim Kitchen, who’s no stranger to adventure — he’s been to space and visited nearly every country on Earth — said that during the pre-dive briefing, some of the answers he got didn’t sit right with him. He was raising concerns about the safety of the support vessel and the weather conditions, but his worries were basically brushed aside by the OceanGate crew. The real turning point came when he asked how many times the Titan sub had successfully reached the Titanic wreck that year. The answer? Zero.
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When he heard that, Jim pulled the CEO aside quietly and told him he wasn’t going on the dive. He didn’t want to alarm the other passengers, but he just couldn’t ignore the fact that the sub had never actually made it to the wreck. His gut told him it wasn’t safe, and it turned out he was right. The Titan imploded during its dive, resulting in the loss of all five people onboard. Ironically, Jim’s scheduled dive was canceled anyway due to bad weather, which only adds to his feeling of “survivor’s remorse” because he knows how close he came to being part of that fatal expedition.
Fast forward two years, and a U.S. Coast Guard report has laid the blame squarely on OceanGate. It found that the company failed to follow basic engineering protocols around safety, testing, and maintenance — basically, things that should never be skipped when you’re sending people to the deep ocean. The report called the disaster “preventable,” which is devastating to hear.
There were also whistleblowers, like David Lochridge, who warned OceanGate about serious issues with the sub’s carbon fiber hull but were ignored or pushed out. David described the hull as “an absolute mess,” and it’s clear now that those ignored warnings were tragically valid.
After the tragedy, OceanGate shut down operations and has been cooperating with investigations. They’ve expressed condolences to the families affected, but the damage was already done.
So, Jim Kitchen’s story is not just about luck; it’s about trusting your instincts and asking the right questions, even when people don’t want to hear them. It’s a powerful reminder that safety must come first, especially when lives are on the line.
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