American Scandal: Titan Sub Disaster | Cyclops | 2

Host: Lindsey Graham
Date: March 31, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode chronicles the rise of Stockton Rush and OceanGate, from the obsession with deep-sea exploration to the roots of decisions and warnings that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan submersible. The narrative traces Rush’s ambition, key technical and business choices, mounting internal and external concerns, and fatal flaws in judgment—offering a suspenseful, character-driven account of how the seeds of disaster were sown years before tragedy struck.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

A Pioneer’s Obsession: Stockton Rush’s Early Years

• [00:00] The dramatized opener sets the mood: Stockton Rush tests his homemade yellow submersible (the K350) in Puget Sound with his wife, Wendy. His excitement is palpable, but so are her anxieties.
  • Quote:
    "You said your elbows keep hitting the valves."
    "Well, I can adjust that. Besides, lying on your stomach is an efficient use of space."
    — Stockton and Wendy Rush ([02:00])
  • Rush is established as inventive, risk-inclined, and undeterred by minor discomforts—qualities that will shape his future business.

From Hobby to Ambition: Founding OceanGate

• [04:59] Stockton Rush’s growing fascination with extreme depths leads him to form OceanGate in 2009 with Guillermo Söhnlein, targeting both research and high-end “adventure tourism.”
  • Early expeditions use the steel-hulled Antipodes, integrating scientists (recruited with free research dives) and paying tourists on the same missions.
  • Quote:
    "Antipodes is regularly booked out. It's used to map the wreckage... and it even stumbles across a crashed World War II fighter plane on the seabed." ([10:00])
• The hybrid research-tourism model is a commercial success, supporting Rush’s hunger for deeper dives and more advanced submersibles.

Partnerships Strained: Toward Cyclops

• With no suitable sub available second-hand, OceanGate begins developing Cyclops with the University of Washington and Boeing in 2013. The vessel borrows a steel hull and features unusual innovations—including PlayStation controller-based maneuvering.
  • Quote:
    "...they operate with an off the Shelf Sony PlayStation controller." ([13:00])
• This period marks OceanGate’s growing ambition but also its slide into riskier design territory.

Warnings and Near Misses

The Andrea Doria Incident

• [14:00] June 2016: Cyclops’s dive to the Andrea Doria goes awry. Director of Marine Operations David Lochridge alerts Rush they are too close to the wreck, but Rush ignores warnings.
  • Quote:
    "Hey, Stock. And back up. We're too close." — Lochridge
    "No, we're fine. I got it." — Rush ([14:52])
  • The vessel collides with the shipwreck and is only freed by Lochridge’s intervention.
  • Quote:
    "We've hit her, Stockton. We've hit the wreck. I told you." — Lochridge ([15:35])
• Rush’s recklessness is apparent to the crew, but tourists remain oblivious, praising the “adventure.”

The Titanic: Escalating Stakes and Unconventional Solutions

• Inspired by tourists’ enthusiasm for shipwrecks, Rush sets his sights on the Titanic, but the depth (over two miles down) far exceeds Cyclops’s capabilities.

Unprecedented Choices

• Material Change: Rush commissions a new submersible (Cyclops II, later the Titan) with a carbon fiber hull—a material never before used for such depths.
  • Engineers express concerns about carbon fiber’s behavior under pressure, but Rush views these as obstacles for innovation rather than barriers.
  • Quote:
    "But there's a problem. No one knows for certain how carbon fiber will behave under such pressure... But that does not deter Rush." ([21:00])
• Window Design: Hydraspace CEO William Kohnen warns about the experimental flat acrylic window, rated safe for just over 2,000 feet—far below Titanic’s depth.
  • Quote:
    "Hydrospace is only willing to rate the window as safe to just over 2,000ft, barely a sixth of the depth of the Titanic." ([22:50])
• Controls: Consultant Rob McCallum rebuffs Rush’s approach to control systems, emphasizing hardwired reliability over wireless novelty.
  • Quote:
    "Every submersible I've ever operated uses hardwired controls for a reason... If the signal drops out on this... you're screwed." — McCallum ([24:00])
  • McCallum declines affiliation; Rush remains undeterred.

Internal Dissent and Whistleblowing

• [34:00] As launch nears, David Lochridge raises formal safety concerns, especially about the uncertified window and under-tested components. He is quickly pushed out:
  • Quote:
    "So on January 18, 2018, Lockridge puts his concerns in writing and emails his report to Rush... the response he gets takes him by surprise. Lockridge is immediately summoned to a meeting." ([34:56])
  • Rush frames the debate as a clash between visionary risk and institutional caution, but ultimately fires Lochridge.
• Promoting “Yes-Men”: After Lochridge and the head of finance both exit, Rush refuses to bring in anyone likely to resist his vision, prioritizing loyalty or expediency over expertise.

External Red Flags: Regulatory and Industry Pushback

• Whistleblower Complaint: Lochridge files a formal whistleblower report with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).
  • Quote:
    "If they send this sub to the Titanic... I'm just worried what will happen. There are passengers... and they're not safe in that thing." — Lochridge ([39:51])
• Industry Concerns: Boeing engineer Mark Negley independently identifies hull safety limits, marking 13,000 feet (Titanic depth) with a skull and crossbones on his analysis.
  • OceanGate’s engineering director suggests further inspection, but Rush severs ties with Boeing, dismissing their warnings as "bureaucratic fear."
  • Quote:
    "So rather than carry out the investigation Negley recommended... Rush decides to sever ties with Boeing altogether." ([44:30])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Problems are just challenges we haven't solved yet." — Stockton Rush ([25:50])
• "I'm not arguing against innovation. I'm arguing for reliability." — Rob McCallum ([24:40])
• "He thinks that Boeing is only trying to cover themselves. In his eyes, their engineers are trapped in a culture of fear and bureaucracy, the same overly cautious mindset that slows down innovation everywhere." ([44:30])
• "In his mind, hesitation and doubt are obstacles to innovation." ([38:00])

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | Description | |------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | Dramatization: Rush’s first dives | Sets up Rush’s early obsession and relationship dynamics| | 04:59 | History and business context | OceanGate’s founding and first successes | | 14:00 | Andrea Doria incident | Near disaster, warning signs from Lochridge | | 21:00 | Quest for the Titanic | Technical, financial, and engineering challenges | | 22:50 | Experimental window design | Key point of contention and safety risk | | 24:00 | PlayStation controller debate | Industry skepticism vs. Rush’s philosophy | | 34:00 | Lochridge’s warnings and whistleblowing| Whistleblower report, regulatory escalation | | 44:30 | Severance with Boeing | Escalating disregard for external oversight | | 47:00 | Rebranding to Titan | Symbolic break with tradition and warning-filled legacy |

Tone and Style

• The episode heavily features dramatized dialogue and internal monologues to immerse listeners in the personal dynamics and growing tension, with a tone of suspense and impending tragedy.
• Stockton Rush is depicted as both visionary and tragically hubristic, with his unwavering rejection of “skeptics” weaving through dialogue, boardroom scenes, and confrontations.
• Industry voices (McCallum, Lochridge, engineering experts) are grounded and cautionary, often providing the foreshadowing that underlines the eventual disaster.

Conclusion

The episode ends with Rush rebranding Cyclops II as the Titan—a decisive, symbolic act foreshadowing the catastrophe born of ambition unchecked by caution. Numerous industry warnings, employee departures, and a whistleblower investigation go unheeded as Rush’s vision barrels toward its fatal endpoint.

Next episode preview: Stockton Rush drives Titan deeper, defying conventional wisdom and setting the stage for calamity.

(For further context, the episode recommends Netflix’s The OceanGate Disaster and the BBC’s Titan Sub Disaster documentaries.)