Friend alleges Rush intended to die in Titan implosion

Karl Stanley, a longtime friend of OceanGate chief executive Stockton Rush, has alleged that Rush intended to die in the Titan submersible at the Titanic wreck and wanted to become part of the ship’s mythology. The claim appears in author Matthew Gavin Frank’s book, Submersed Wonder, Obsession and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines, and has not been independently established by the evidence described in the reports. Stanley, a commercial submersible expert who knew Rush, told Frank that Rush was willing to die and kill to become a central figure in the Titanic story. He also alleged that Rush knowingly designed the Titan as a vessel that would implode, killing everyone aboard, including himself. Asked whether he believed Rush intended that outcome, Stanley said he knew it was what happened. The Titan imploded during its descent to the Titanic wreck in June 2023, killing Rush and the four passengers aboard. The vessel lost contact with its support ship on June 18, and officials announced the implosion after debris was found during a search. The passengers were French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood...