Warnings over the safety of OceanGate's Titan submersible were repeatedly dismissed by the CEO of the company according to email exchanges with a leading deep sea exploration specialist.
In the messages, specialist Rob McCallum told OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush that he was potentially putting his clients at risk and urged him to stop using the sub until it had been classified by an independent agency.
Mr. Rush responded that he was tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation.
Mr. McCallum said the tense exchange ended after OceanGate's lawyers threatened legal action.
Mr. Rush was one of the five men on board the Titan when it imploded during a trip Sunday to visit the wreck of the Titanic.
The others included a British billionaire, a Pakistani-British businessman and his 19-year-old son, as well as a renowned French oceanographer and explorer.
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