‘I’m struck by the similarity between the Titanic disaster,’ James Cameron says of Titan submarine tragedy

the famous filmmaker James Cameronwho is also an experienced explorer of the depths of the sea, believed that many warnings about the safety of the Titan, the tourist submarine that imploded near the Titanic, were ignored.

Cameron, who directed the tape titanic (1997), said the small ship had caused great concern in the ocean research community. He also pointed out the similarities between the tragedy and the sinking of the huge ship in 1912, which killed some 1,500 people.

“I am struck by the resemblance between the Titanic disaster, whose captain was warned several times about the ice in front of the ship, and yet rushed full speed into an ice field on a moonless night, and many people died as a result”, Cameron said in an interview with the American ABC news.

“And for a very similar tragedy, where the warnings were ignored, to happen in exactly the same place, with all the diving going on around the world, I think it’s just amazing.”

“It’s really a bit surreal,” Cameron noted.

The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed Thursday that the small vessel, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, suffered “a catastrophic loss of chamber pressure” in the deep oceanending a multinational search and rescue operation that has captivated the world, details ep.

Cameron, who in 2012 became the first person to descend to the deepest point of the ocean, in a submarine he designed, stressed that the risk of pressure implosion was always “primarily” in the minds of engineers.

“It’s the nightmare we’ve all lived with” in this area of ​​researchhe said, highlighting the security brands of recent decades. But “many people in the community were very concerned about this submarine,” he added.

“Several leading figures in the deep immersion engineering community even wrote letters to the company saying they were too experimental with passenger loading and should be certified,” he added.

The five passengers aboard the lost submarine were killed when the ship imploded, according to the remains found by rescue teams.

On board the submarine were British millionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman, both also British nationals, veteran French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Expeditions. who charged $250,000. per tourist.

Cameron mentioned his 25-year friendship with Nargeolet. “I can hardly accept that he died tragically in this way.”, he indicated.

Once the outcome of this tragedy was known, the Wall Street Journal revealed that as early as Sunday, shortly after his disappearance, the US Navy detected a signal indicating that the submarine was likely to implode.

“These men were true explorers who shared a strong spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans.OceanGate said in a statement, lamenting the deaths of the crew members.

On Thursday morning, an ROV, a remote-controlled vehicle, found “a field of debris” scattered less than half a kilometer from the Titanic’s bow, including the submarine’s tail, Mauger explained at a news conference.

Added to that are four other large pieces that confirm the “catastrophic implosion” of the 6.5-meter submarine, despite the fact that none of the sonar buoys in the water had seen anything unusual almost constantly, the Coast Guard said. .

Perhaps for this reason, the rescuers remained confident until this morning Could they find the passengers alive? despite the fact that the submarine’s 96 hours of emergency oxygen had run out.