Salvaged video reveals last seconds aboard the OceanGate Titan

INTERNET — Video footage recovered from a USB thumb drive salvaged at the wreck of the OceanGate submersible Titan shows the final grim, terrifying seconds of its ill-fated journey to gawk at the ruins of the RMS Titanic.

Tourists paid OceanGate $250,000 apiece to visit the wreckage of the infamous passenger vessel whose dreadful sinking after a collision with an iceberg is a well known symbol of hubris.

Coast Guard data recovery specialist Daniel Taynor told reporters, “A tremendous tearing sound can be heard, something like a mile-long zipper, as the carbon fiber slowly failed over an agonizing thirty-seven seconds. The astonished and terrified crew attempted to cover their ears to block out the deafening ripping sound of delamination as thousands of miles of carbon fibers unfurled. Then, finally, the inrush of water was instant, happening within a single video frame. Surprisingly, the camera continued recording for several seconds after full implosion.”

The footage will not be released to the public, out of respect for friends and family of the deceased.

Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, who perished on board the Titan, previously told investors that the submersible was “unsinkable.” By cutting corners using off-brand XBox controllers and bolting passengers into the submersible from outside, Rush hoped to dive over two miles below the ocean surface and make a profit while doing it.

Doug Jackson, DIY builder of the submersible vehicles Argonaut Junior and Seeker stirred controversy, telling fans, “Bravo to Stockton Rush, Bravo! The world needs more adventure and less safety. We have learned so much about carbon fiber pressure vessels, and personally I’m not surprised. Modern technology is great, but metal is better. One day I’ll build a Titan of my own, but this time out of metal. We love metal.”