James Cameron, the filmmaker renowned for directing the film Titanic, has revealed that numerous safety warnings were disregarded by tourists aboard the submersible that suffered an implosion near the famous shipwreck, resulting in the deaths of five individuals. Cameron, who is also a deep-sea explorer, highlighted that the sub had raised widespread concerns within the tightly knit ocean exploration community and drew comparisons to the tragic sinking of the Titanic in 1912, where approximately 1,500 people lost their lives.
Cameron expressed his astonishment at the similarity between the two disasters, emphasizing how the captain of the Titanic had been repeatedly alerted about the presence of ice ahead of the ship but failed to heed the warnings, leading to the loss of many lives. He stated, “And for a very similar tragedy, where warnings went unheeded, to take place at the same exact site, with all the diving that’s going on all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing. It’s really quite surreal,” during an interview with ABC News.
On Thursday, the US Coast Guard confirmed that the submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions, had experienced a “catastrophic implosion” at great depths in the ocean, bringing an end to a multinational search-and-rescue operation that captured global attention.
Cameron, who became the first person to conduct a solo dive to the deepest part of the ocean in 2012 using a submersible of his own design and construction, highlighted that the risk of implosion under pressure has always been a paramount concern for engineers. He described it as the “nightmare” they have dealt with since entering the field of deep exploration, while also acknowledging the sector’s strong safety record over the past few decades. However, he noted that many individuals in the deep-submergence engineering community had expressed concerns about the specific submersible involved in the incident, and some even wrote letters to the company, cautioning that the experimental nature of the submersible made it unsuitable for carrying passengers and stressed the need for certification.
Cameron further disclosed that he personally knew one of the passengers who perished in the submersible, French ocean explorer Paul-Henri “PH” Nargeolet. Reflecting on the tragedy, he expressed his disbelief at the loss and highlighted the close-knit nature of the deep-sea exploration community.
Having extensively visited the Titanic shipwreck throughout his career, including during the production of his 1997 film, Cameron shared his familiarity with the site. He humorously mentioned that he had spent more time on the ship than the captain did during its original operation. Cameron’s filmmaking portfolio also includes the underwater disaster movie “The Abyss” and multiple deep-sea documentaries.
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