Titan submersible victim’s family sue OceanGate for $77m

The family of a man who died on the infamous Titan submersible last year allege the “doomed” vessel had a “troubled history”.

The family of a Titanic explorer who was among those killed in last year’s submersible implosion has slapped a $US50 million ($77 million) wrongful death lawsuit on the doomed sub’s operator.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, was one of five people aboard the Titan submersible when it suddenly imploded en route to the famed wreck site at the bottom of the North Atlantic in June 2023.

The veteran underwater explorer’s family have now accused the submersible’s owner – OceanGate — of gross negligence, alleging the “doomed” vessel had a “troubled history”.

They have also accused OceanGate of failing to disclose key facts about the vessel and its durability prior to the expedition, according to the suit filed in Washington state on Tuesday.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet was one of five people on board Titan who died.

He was a veteran underwater explorer. Picture: Joel Saget / AFP

The $77m lawsuit

Attorneys for Mr Nargeolet’s estate argue the “doomed submersible” had a “troubled history” and that OceanGate failed to disclose key facts about the vessel and its durability.

“The lawsuit further alleges that even though Nargeolet had been designated by OceanGate to be a member of the crew of the vessel, many of the particulars about the vessel’s flaws and shortcomings were not disclosed and were purposely concealed,” the lawyers said in a statement.

Mr Nargeolet — affectionately dubbed “Mr Titanic” — had taken more than three dozen trips to the liner’s wreck before boarding the ill-fated OceanGate submersible.

The former French navy commander was part of the first human expedition to visit the wreck site back in 1987.

Mr Nargeolet, who was a director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, was a seasoned veteran and wouldn’t have participated in the Titan expedition if OceanGate had been more transparent, the lawyers argued.

The doomed Titan submersible which imploded in June 2023. Picture: OceanGate Expeditions / AFP

His family filed the suit in a bid to get answers “as to exactly how this happened, who all were involved, and how those involved could allow this to happen,” the attorneys added.

A spokesperson for OceanGate declined to comment on the suit.

The Titan submersible had set off the morning of June 18, 2023 but lost contact with its support vessel roughly two hours later.

The wreck was later found on the ocean floor about 984 feet from the Titanic after a huge search and rescue mission that drew attention from across the globe.

In addition to Mr Nargeolet, the implosion killed OceanGate CEO and co-founder Stockton Rush; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and Pakistani father-and-son, Shahzada and Suleman Dawood.

This article originally appeared on New York Post and was reproduced with permission