Greg Evans
Jun 23, 2023
content.jwplatform.com
Titanic director James Cameron has been speaking out about the OceanGate sub-disaster which was confirmed to have suffered a "catastrophic implosion" when venturing down to see the famous wreckage.
Cameron is a veteran of deep-sea sub diving having visited the Titanic location numerous times and ventured even deeper into the ocean when he went down to the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth.
Speaking to ABC News on Thursday, the Canadian director drew eerie comparisons to the OceanGate disaster and the Titanic while adding that concerns had been raised in the engineering community about the vessel, which ultimately claimed the lives of five people.
Cameron's fascination with the ocean is well documented in his most recent film Avatar: The Way of Water featuring numerous scenes that were actually filmed underwater.
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One of his earlier films, The Abyss, made in 1989, also featured scenes that were filmed underwater and also contained a scene where a submersible imploded which has since resurfaced on social media.
Actor Michael Biehn's character, NAVY Lieutenant Hiram Coffey suffers the unenviable fate as his sub falls over a cliff edge and swiftly descends into the darkness below before the pressure overwhelms the vessel.
On Thursday, Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said there did not appear to be any connection between the underwater noises detected during the search and rescue mission and the location of the debris on the seafloor.
“This was a catastrophic implosion of the vessel which would have generated a significant broadband sound down there that the sonar buoys would have picked up,” he said.
Additional reporting from PA.
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