Video has surfaced of Stockton Rush, the CEO of Oceangate, the company that operates the missing submarine that was attempting to explore the wreckage of the Titanic, saying he doesn’t hire “50-year-old white guys” because they’re not “inspirational.”
The footage offers up fresh scrutiny for the company, and quite frankly, commentary on diversity hiring practices in general.
The submarine known as The Titan lost contact with its operator, OceanGate, less than two hours into its journey on Sunday. The vessel has five people aboard, including a pilot, a billionaire British adventurer, and a Titanic expert.
That expert is Rush himself.
The latest reports indicate that the rescue operation has turned into a race against time, with just 24 hours left to the group’s oxygen supply.
A rescue ship named Deep Energy is now on site and is aiding in efforts to rescue those in peril. Hope had been fading, but new information that the Coast Guard detected banging sounds, perhaps from inside Titan, has renewed hope of a successful retrieval from the ocean depths.
We confirm that sounds have been emitted in the search area where the #Titan submersible disappeared.
? There’s still 24 hours of oxygen left. #OceanGate #Ocean #Gate #Titanic #titanicsubmarine #titanicsubmersible #titanicwreck #Newfoundland #AtlanticOcean pic.twitter.com/utLhacIXBu
— OceanGate Expeditions (@OceanGateExpeds) June 21, 2023
RELATED: Here’s Everything You Need To Know About The Missing Titanic Submarine
CEO Of Titanic Submarine Company Didn’t Want To Hire White Veterans
Rush has come under a great deal of scrutiny since news of the Titanic submarine’s current predicament got out.
Old comments have surfaced indicating that he downplayed any danger in operating the submersible saying it “shouldn’t take a lot of skill” and even if a problem were to arise, “you’re still going to be safe.”
Rush had told a CBS News crew that the vessel only uses a video game controller and one elevator-style button to control movements.
“We only have one button, that’s it,” he said. “It should be like an elevator — it shouldn’t take a lot of skill.”
This is so wild.
The Titanic-seeking submarine that’s missing with a crew of 5 was operated using an old video game controller.
The CEO of the company that operates the tours told CBS in 2022 that piloting the sub “shouldn’t take a lot of skill” https://t.co/PsnIOS6l5c
— Ryan Browne (@Ryan_Browne_) June 20, 2023
Safety Issues
Daily Mail reported that the Titanic submarine tour company OceanGate has had some questions about the construction of the Titan as well as their safety measures.
“There are growing questions over the safety precautions in place and manufacturing of the 21ft Titan, which some experts likened to a slap-dash can put together haphazardly with cheap parts,” they conveyed.
Now, this new video seems to indicate Rush may have been haphazard in his hiring practices as well.
? The CEO of OceanGate, which is operating the missing Titanic tourist submarine, explains that the company didn’t want to hire any experienced “50 year old white guys” because they weren’t “inspirational.” pic.twitter.com/7XSYsU8mei
— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) June 21, 2023
In an interview with Teledyne Marine in August of 2020, Rush can be heard explaining that he doesn’t find “50-year-old white guys” to be an inspirational source when selecting crew members.
The entire interview can be viewed below.
“When I started the business, one of the things you’ll find, there are other sub-operators out there, but they typically have, uh, gentlemen who are ex-military submariners, and they — you’ll see a whole bunch of 50-year-old white guys,” Rush says during the interview.
“I wanted our team to be younger, to be inspirational and I’m not going to inspire a 16-year-old to go pursue marine technology, but a 25-year-old, uh, you know, who’s a sub pilot or a platform operator or one of our techs can be inspirational,” he continued.
Rush added that such expertise from veterans was unnecessary because “anybody can drive the sub.”
Let’s hope for everyone’s sake that those conducting the frantic search to save those on board the Titanic submarine were chosen because of their intelligence and experience, and not based on whether they might be “inspirational.”
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