Late this week, the Coast Guard confirmed what many suspected about the recent Titanic submersible voyage launched by Oceangate. Upon the discovery of a debris field, it followed that all five passengers perished when the vessel imploded while descending toward the Atlantic Ocean floor.
The saddest aspect of this tragedy arose when a relative revealed that 19-year-old Suleman Dawood was “terrified” about the doomed voyage and didn’t want to go. He relented and did so as a Father’s Day gesture toward his dad, Shahzada Dawood. Now, another prospective passenger — who was the object of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush’s sales pitches — revealed that he averted danger after being wooed for the same $250,000-per-head voyage.
Via Page Six, Jay Bloom, a property finance mogul, received a sales pitch from Rush, who had been sending solicitations back in February. Then in April, Rush offered a “last-minute price” of $150,000 for Bloom and his son to take the trip, and Bloom declined after having already expressed safety concerns for what was intended as a May voyage. That dive got postponed until this past weekend with, and the spaces turned down by Bloom were occupied by Suleman and Shahzada Dawood.
On Facebook, Bloom wrote about the “very wrong” belief of Stockton, who insisted that the dive would be “safer than crossing the street”:
I expressed safety concerns and Stockton told me:
“While there’s obviously risk it’s way safer than flying in a helicopter or even scuba diving. There hasn’t been even an injury in 35 years in a non-military subs.”
I am sure he really believed what he was saying. But he was very wrong.
He passionately believed in what he was doing … I told him that due to scheduling we couldn’t go until next year. Our seats went to Shahzada Dawood and his 19 year old son, Suleman Dawood, two of the other three who lost their lives on this excursion (the fifth being Hamish Harding).
One last time.. RIP Stockton and crew.
You can read Moore’s full Facebook post and see screenshots of his text chain with Stockton below.
Since the vessel’s initial disappearance over the weekend, the world has heard from multiple parties who have witnessed highly questionable safety practices and obvious red flags regarding the Titanic subversive vessel. Following confirmation about the implosion, CNN spoke with a medical professional who believes that no remains will be recovered following this tragedy.
(Via Page Six, Jay Bloom on Facebook & CNN)