Ex-employees of Titanic submersible’s owner to testify before Coast Guard panel
Associated PressPORTLAND, Maine — Former employees of the company that owned an experimental submersible that imploded on its way to the wreck of the Titanic are scheduled to testify before a Coast Guard investigatory board at an upcoming hearing. Witnesses scheduled to appear during the upcoming hearing include Guillermo Sohnlein, who is another co-founder of OceanGate, as well as the company’s former engineering director, operations director and scientific director, according to documents provided by the Coast Guard. The public hearing “aims to uncover the facts surrounding the incident and develop recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future,” the Coast Guard said in a statement Friday. The Coast Guard said in a July 2024 statement that the public hearing will “examine all aspects of the loss of the Titan, including pre-accident historical events, regulatory compliance, crewmember duties and qualifications, mechanical and structural systems, emergency response and the submersible industry.” The Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021.