The CEO of OceanGate, the company that operates the submarine that went missing while touring the Titanic wreckage, previously said he would never hire “50 year old white guys” because they aren’t “inspirational.”
A submersible taking tourists to the famed ocean liner, which sank in 1912, went missing in the Atlantic Ocean on Sunday with around four days worth of oxygen. There were five people onboard, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who piloted the submarine, and billionaire Hamish Harding. The four tourists paid $250,000 each. (RELATED: Police Find Four Children And A Dead Body At Boston Apartment Filled With Drugs, Sex Toys And Men In Drag)
“When I started business, one of the things you’ll find for other sub operators out there, they typically have people who are ex-military submariners and you’ll see a whole bunch of 50-year-old white guys. I wanted our team to be younger, to be inspirational,” Rush says in a recording, which is circulating on social media. “And I’m not gonna inspire a 16-year-old to go pursue marine technology, but a 25-year-old who’s a sub pilot or a platform operator or one of our techs can be inspirational. So we’ve really tried to get very intelligent, motivated younger individuals to get involved.”
Rush is reportedly one of the passengers on board the submersible.
The CEO of OceanGate, which is operating the missing Titanic tourist submarine, explains that the company didn’t want to hire any experienced “50 year old white guys” because they weren’t “inspirational.” pic.twitter.com/kxXkhBn7oL
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) June 21, 2023
“More people have been to outer space than to this depth of the ocean. When you’re diving in these situations, you have to cross your t’s, dot your i’s. You have to do everything absolutely perfect and by the book,” G. Michael Harris, who headed up the expedition, told Fox News on Tuesday. “Worst situation is something happened to the hull. Our fear is that it imploded at around 3,200 meters.”
Authorities announced Wednesday that underwater noises have been heard in the search area.