Titan submersible's scientific director says the sub malfunctioned just prior to the Titanic dive

The scientific director for the company that owned the Titan submersible that imploded last year while on its way to the Titanic wreckage testified Thursday that the sub had malfunctioned just prior to the fatal dive.

Appearing before a U.S. Coast Guard panel, Steven Ross told the board about a platform issue the experimental submersible experienced in June 2023, just days before it imploded on its way to the Titanic site. The malfunction caused passengers onboard the submersible to “tumble about,” and it took an hour to get them out of the water.

The submersible pilot, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into bulkheading during the malfunction, Ross said. No one was injured in the incident, Ross said, though he described it as uncomfortable.

“One passenger was hanging upside down. The other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap,” Ross said, adding that he did not know if a safety assessment of the Titan or an inspection of its hull was performed after the incident.

An investigatory panel has listened to three days of testimony that raised questions about the company's operations before the doomed mission. Rush was among five people who died when the submersible imploded en route to the site of the Titanic wreck in June 2023.

Earlier Thursday, Renata Rojas, a mission specialist for the company, told the Coast Guard the firm was staffed by competent people who wanted to “make dreams come true.” Rojas' testimony struck a different tone than some of the earlier witnesses, who described the company as troubled from the top down and focused more on profit than science or safety.

“I was learning a lot and working with amazing people,” Rojas said. “Some of those people are very hardworking individuals that were just trying to make dreams come true.”

Rojas also said she felt the company was sufficiently transparent during the run-up to the Titanic dive. Her testimony was emotional at times, with the Coast Guard panel proposing a brief break at one point so she could collect herself.

Rojas is a member of the Explorers Club, which lost members Hamish Harding and Paul-Henri Nargeolet in the Titan implosion. The club described Rush as “a friend of The Explorers Club” after the implosion.

“I knew what I was doing was very risky. I never at any point felt unsafe by the operation,” Rojas said in testimony Thursday.

Earlier this month, the Coast Guard opened a public hearing that is part of a high-level investigation into the cause of the implosion. The public hearing began Sept. 16 and some of the testimony has focused on problems the company had prior to the fatal 2023 dive.

Investigators also released underwater footage of the submersible wreck. The footage shows the submersible's tail cone and other debris on the ocean floor.

During the hearing, former OceanGate operations director David Lochridge said Tuesday he frequently clashed with Rush and felt the company was committed only to making money.

“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” Lochridge testified. “There was very little in the way of science.”

The hearing is expected to run through Friday with more witnesses still to come and resume next week.

Lochridge and other witnesses have painted a picture of a company led by people who were impatient to get the unconventionally designed craft into the water. The deadly accident set off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.

Coast Guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. That and Titan’s unusual design subjected it to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community.

OceanGate, based in Washington state, suspended its operations after the implosion. The company has no full-time employees currently, but has been represented by an attorney during the hearing.

During the submersible’s final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the Titan’s depth and weight as it descended. The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.

One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, “all good here,” according to a visual recreation presented earlier in the hearing.

When the submersible was reported missing, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Four days later, wreckage of the Titan was found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.

No one on board survived. Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman were the other two people killed in the implosion.

OceanGate said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began. The Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021.

Lars Okmark, LCDR, legal counsel, listens during the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Corey Connor via AP, Pool)

Nicole Emmons, technical advisor, listens during the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Corey Connor via AP, Pool)

Renata Rojas, OceanGate mission specialist, center, pauses during at the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Corey Connor via AP, Pool)

Jason Neubauer, board chairman, left, and Thomas Whalen, board member, right, listen during the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Corey Connor via AP, Pool)

Renata Rojas, OceanGate mission specialist, center left, talks with her legal counsel, center right, during the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Corey Connor via AP, Pool)

Renata Rojas, OceanGate mission specialist, wipes tears away during testimony at the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Corey Connor via AP, Pool)

This June 2023 United States Coast Guard still frame from video provided by Pelagic Research Services, shows remains of the Titan submersible, center, on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard Video courtesy Pelagic Research Services via AP)

This June 2023 United States Coast Guard still frame from video provided by Pelagic Research Services, shows remains of the Titan submersible, center, on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Coast Guard Video courtesy Pelagic Research Services via AP)

In a still from from a video animation provided by the United States Coast Guard an illustration of the Titan submersible, right, is shown near the ocean floor of the Atlantic Ocean, as June 18, 2023 communications between the submersible and the support vessel Polar Prince, not shown, are represented at left. (United States Coast Guard via AP)

This June 2023 image provided by Pelagic Research Services shows remains of the Titan submersible on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (Pelagic Research Services via AP)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Cade Klubnik had 235 passing yards and threw touchdown passes to Antonio Williams and T.J. Moore as No. 15 Clemson jumped to an early lead and cruised past Florida State 29-13 on Saturday night.

“I thought Cade played great,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Gritty. Made some plays with his legs. He’s just been a difference maker for us in his recognition. He’s been much more opportunistic. Has really made some big plays.”

Klubnik completed 19 of 33 passes and ran for 62 yards on 11 carries. He threw a 57-yard touchdown to Williams and a 23-yard touchdown to Moore as Clemson built a 17-0 lead after one quarter.

“Really proud of the guys,” Klubnik said. “Obviously want to convert some of those field goals to touchdowns. I feel like we played an A-minus, B-plus game on offense in total and we still had 500 yards of offense.”

Klubnik now has 14 touchdown passes in five games.

Phil Mafah ran for 154 yards on 20 carries as Clemson (4-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) finished with 265 rushing yards, averaging 6.6 yards per carry. The Tigers owned the line of scrimmage and won their first road game of 2024.

Coach Dabo Swinney picked up his 174th win at Clemson, breaking the record for victories at an ACC school — a mark held by Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, who won 173 games from the time the school joined the league in 1992 to his retirement in 2009.

“It’s a blessing,” Swinney said. “And I honestly think coach Bowden is probably smiling. Somebody has to break it. Somebody will break this record one of these days. It’s not ever anything I’ve ever dreamed about or cared about or thought about doing.”

While Florida State won the 2023 matchup in Death Valley, Clemson has won four straight games in Tallahassee.

Brock Glenn, making his third career start, completed 23 of 41 passes for 228 yards and touchdowns to Amaree Williams and Ja’Khi Douglas for Florida State (1-5, 1-4). He completed more passes than he had in his previous two starts plus mop-up time.

“I appreciated his energy,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “He showed toughness throughout the course of the game. Made some really good plays.”

QB FRIENDSHIP

Klubnik caught up with Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei after the game. The two were teammates at Clemson in 2022, which was Klubnik’s freshman year and Uiagalelei’s last year before transferring to Oregon State for the 2023 season. Uiagalelei did not play for the Seminoles on Saturday due to injury.

“We text every once in a while,” Klubnik said. “I told him I was praying for his hand. But more than anything I told him I was thankful for him and thankful for the time that we had together. It was great to see him.”

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Clemson is poised to move up, especially on a day when so many top 10 teams lost.

TAKEAWAYS

Clemson: The Tigers racked up 500 offensive yards, controlling the line of scrimmage for large portions of the game.

Florida State: The Seminoles didn’t have any rushing yardage through three quarters, finishing with 22 yards on 23 carries and lacking balance to support a redshirt freshman quarterback.

UP NEXT

Clemson plays at Wake Forest next Saturday.

Florida State has a bye and will next play at Duke on Oct. 18.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Florida State quarterback Brock Glenn (11) passes under pressure from Clemson linebacker Wade Woodaz (17) during the first second of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Tallahassee, Fla. Clemson beat Florida State 29-13. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)

Clemson tight end Josh Sapp safety is sandwiched by Florida State defensives back Ashlynd Barker (27) and Kevin Knowles II (3) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)

Clemson wide receiver T.J. Moore (1) is all alone as he scores his team's second touchdown against Florida State during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)

Clemson wide receiver T.J. Moore (1) and quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) celebrate after Moore caught a pass from Klubnik to score the team's second touchdown against Florida State during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Colin Hackley)