I gave up my seat on Titanic sub after Stockton Rush boasted he bought ‘expired’ materials ‘at a discount’ to build it
A MAN has revealed he gave up his set on the Titanic sub after Stockton Rush boasted he had bought “expired” materials “at a discount” to build it.
Arnie Weissmann, the editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly says he spoke to the OceanGate CEO just days before the fatal expedition that killed all five people on board.
Weissmann had originally been set to join the expedition earlier this month to see the wreck of the Titanic but he was forced to pull out due to scheduling clashes.
He has now revealed more evidence that Rush apparently cut corners when developing the vessel.
According to Weissmann, Rush boasted about how he had bought carbon fibre for the sub “at a big discount” because “it was past its shelf life use in planes”.
He told the Washington Post: “I responded right away, saying, 'Don’t you have any concerns about that?’
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“He was very dismissive and said: 'No, it’s perfectly fine. Having all these certifications for airplanes is one thing, but the carbon fibre was perfectly sound.'"
Experts have previously said how carbon fibre was a poor choice of material for the sub.
Using materials past their expiry date could have made the sub even more susceptible to problems, some have claimed.
Experts have also suggested that water could have seeped into the space where the carbon fibre met pieces of titanium.
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It follows a number of reports about how the CEO cut corner when developing the sub.
A few days ago, a deep sea explorer claimed the Titan sub boss ignored his safety fears has told how he was most alarmed by the "cavalier attitude" to the voyage.
Rob McCallum says he flagged a series of key design flaws to the CEO after becoming concerned with his offhand approach.
Rob explained he had spent time with the OceanGate boss and his team while the construction of the Titan submersible was underway.
His up close and personal assessment of the vessel instantly set alarm bells ringing, as he quickly identified three major problems.
Stockton Rush, Brit billionaire Hamish Harding, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman tragically died on the dive to the Titanic wreck.
Titan was steered by a budget Xbox-style controller, which Rush previously boasted made it possible for "anybody to drive the sub."
This was a huge red flag for Rob, who feared the team were cutting corners while prioritising the success of the voyage over safety.
Experts said one tiny flaw in the 21ft vessel could have led to disaster.
Rush previously said he had "broken some rules" to make the Titan sub in the name of "innovation."
A tycoon who turned down tickets on the doomed Titan sub revealed how the OceanGate chief bragged it was "safer than crossing the street".
Titan vanished less than two hours into its descent to the Titanic wreckage on June 18.
Search crews had been desperately looking for the vessel in the Atlantic after it lost communication with just 96 hours of life support.
The latest development come after suspected human remains were found with pieces of recovered wreckage of the Titan sub.
A spokesperson for the US Coast Guard said: "United States medical professionals will conduct a formal analysis of presumed human remains that have been carefully recovered within the wreckage at the site of the incident."
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Jason Neubauer, a captain with the Marine Board of Investigation, said: "The evidence will provide investigators from several international jurisdictions with critical insights into the cause of this tragedy.
"There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again."
