North Charleston, S.C. - A mission specialist for the company that operated the ill-fated Titan submersible became emotional as she testified Thursday before Coast Guard investigators trying to determine the cause of last summer’s deadly implosion.
Renata Rojas was perhaps one of the last people to see the five passengers killed on that fateful dive. She stood on a platform, collecting their person belongings as they climbed into the experimental submersible and began a more than 12,000-foot descent.
“They were just very happy to go,” said Rojas, her voice beginning to crack. “That’s the memory I have.”
Mission Specialist
Rojas, a New York banker, told investigators she began scuba diving when she 8 years-old and was obsessed with the Titanic. As an adult, she wanted to find a way to visit the wreckage.
She said she made numerous inquiries but couldn’t find the right trip until she heard about OceanGate, a company that built submersibles and sold expeditions. Rojas said, in 2015, she got a call from OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush who told her he was building a vessel to visit the Titanic and offered her a job as a mission specialist.
Rojas jumped at the chance.
It wasn’t a paid position but one that gave her a front row seat to building a submersible and potentially fulfilling her life-long dream of touring the Titanic wreckage
Rojas said she gave OceanGate a downpayment on that dream in 2017. But the trip wouldn't happen until several years later. She said in-between there was “a lot of testing” as well as issues with the submersible’s hull. It was being rebuilt with carbon-fiber instead of titanium.
Rojas’s attorney was by her side as she was repeatedly asked about safety concerns brought up earlier in the week by former OceanGate employees, including a head engineer and an operations director.
But Rojas testified she felt OceanGate was transparent with problems, and she never felt unsafe, even while visiting the wreckage in 2022 as part of a mission that’s been described as chaotic by other witnesses. She later added she knew the submersible wasn’t “a Disney ride”, there was risk involved.
That risk became real on June 18, 2024. Rojas testified she knew something was wrong after an early mid-morning lunch. The ship had lost contact with the submersible. Still, she didn't sense panic.
“It didn’t seem to be anything of concern until 6 pm,” said Rojas. “I don’t think we got really concerned until it was really overdue.”
Anxious family waited on board the ship. The Titan submersible had vanished. It wouldn’t be found until four days later.
“What we have all gone through is still raw,” said Rojas through tears. “Nothing is going to bring our friends back. I hope this investigation creates an understanding that with exploration there is risk.”
Also testifying Tuesday was former OceanGate Scientific Director Steven Ross. He said he’s worked as a marine scientist for more than 45 years, with experience on both submersibles and remotely operated vehicles.
He said he'd met OceanGate's CEO in 2013 but didn't start working for the company until five years later when Rush reached out asking him to develop a viable science program for the Titan submersible.
Ross acknowledged his previous work with other companies focused primarily on science while this company had “multiple agendas,” notably touring the Titanic.
Ross took that tour in 2023, not long before the submersible’s fatal dive. During that mission, the Titan had surfaced and was being placed on a platform that malfunctioned. Suddenly the submersible tipped at a 45-degree angle.
“The pilot crashed into the rear bulkhead,” said Ross. “Passengers tumbled about... one passenger was hanging upside.”
When asked to elaborate about the experience, Ross was stoic as he called it “uncomfortable,” adding it took about an hour to get everyone out of the vessel. He recalled talking to Rush about what happened but couldn’t remember if a post-incident assessment had been done.
He did remember, however, asking Rush how many trips the Titan could make with its newly rebuilt, carbon fiber hull. He testified Rush told him it would be good for “indefinite trips.” Carbon fiber is not as durable as titanium.
The Coast Guard Marine Board Investigation hearings continue in North Charleston through next week. In all 24 witnesses are expected to testify, including former OceanGate Co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein.
