Family of explorer who perished in Titan submarine explosion seeks more than $50 million in legal action

The relatives of a French adventurer who perished in a submersible collapse have initiated a lawsuit seeking over $50 million, alleging that the team encountered “horror and psychological distress” before the catastrophe and accusing the operator of the sub of severe negligence.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet was one of five individuals who perished when the Titan submersible collapsed during an expedition to the renowned Titanic wreck site in the North Atlantic in June 2023. None of the individuals survived the journey on the experimental submersible owned by OceanGate, a firm in Washington state that has subsequently halted operations.

Referred to as “Mr. Titanic,” Nargeolet partook in 37 descents to the Titanic site, the most of any diver globally, as per the lawsuit. He was respected as one of the most knowledgeable individuals about the renowned wreckage. Attorneys for his estate conveyed in an emailed statement that the “doomed submersible” had a “troubled past,” and that OceanGate neglected to reveal crucial information about the vessel and its robustness.

As per the lawsuit, the Titan “discarded weights” about 90 minutes into its descent, suggesting that the team had canceled or attempted to cancel the descent.

“While the exact reason for the failure might never be ascertained, specialists concur that the Titan’s crew would have comprehended precisely what was unfolding,” the lawsuit mentions. “Common sense indicates that the crew were well aware they were facing death, before perishing.”

The lawsuit proceeds to state: “The crew might have heard the carbon fiber’s crackling noise intensify as the pressure of the water bore down on Titan’s hull. The crew lost communication and potentially power as well. By experts’ assessment, they would have continued to plunge, fully aware of the vessel’s irreversible breakdowns, undergoing horror and psychological distress before the Titan ultimately collapsed.”

A representative for OceanGate declined to comment on the lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in King County, Washington. The lawsuit characterizes Nargeolet as an employee of OceanGate and a team member on the Titan.

The suit also critiques Titan’s “trendy, modern, wireless electronics system, and asserts that none of the controller, controls, or gauges would function without a consistent power source and a wireless signal.

Although OceanGate designated Nargeolet as a part of the team, “many of the specifics about the vessel’s defects and deficiencies were not disclosed and were intentionally concealed,” the attorneys, the Buzbee Law Firm of Houston, Texas, stated in their release.

Tony Buzbee, one of the attorneys on the case, mentioned that one of the objectives of the lawsuit is to “obtain responses for the family as to precisely how this occurred, who all were involved, and how those involved could permit this to occur.”

Questions were raised following the disaster regarding whether the Titan was doomed due to its unconventional design and its creator’s refusal to undergo independent inspections that are standard in the field. Its collapse also raised inquiries about the feasibility and future of private deep-sea exploration.

The U.S. Coast Guard swiftly initiated a top-level inquiry, which is ongoing. A critical public hearing as part of the investigation is set to occur in September.

The Titan conducted its final descent on June 18, 2023, a Sunday morning, and lost contact with its support vessel about two hours later. After a search and rescue effort that garnered worldwide attention, the wreckage of the Titan was located on the ocean floor approximately 984 feet (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, around 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

OceanGate CEO and cofounder Stockton Rush was operating the Titan at the time of its collapse. In addition to Rush and Nargeolet, the collapse claimed the lives of British explorer Hamish Harding and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.

The firm that possesses the salvage rights to the Titanic is currently on its maiden voyage to the wreckage site in years. Last month, RMS Titanic Inc., a Georgia-based company, launched its initial expedition to the site since 2010 from Providence, Rhode Island.

Nargeolet served as the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic. One of the expeditions Nargeolet undertook was the initial visit to the Titanic in 1987, shortly after its discovery, as per the lawsuit. His estate’s attorneys portrayed him as a seasoned veteran of underwater exploration who would not have partaken in the Titan expedition if the company had been more transparent.

The lawsuit attributes the collapse to the “continual negligence, recklessness, and negligence” of Oceangate, Rush, and others.

“Decedent Nargeolet may have perished while engaging in his passion, but his demise — and the demise of the other Titan crew members — was unlawful,” the lawsuit states.