New evidence strongly suggests that OceanGate’s submersible, which imploded and killed all passengers on its way to the Titanic wreck, was unfit for the journey. The CEO, Stockton Rush, bought discounted carbon fiber past its shelf life from Boeing, which experts say is a terrible choice for a deep-sea vessel. This likely played a role in the submersible’s tragic demise.
The design was definitely flawed from the start. The carbon fiber is not a good material to use for repeated stress cycling. Each time the carbon fiber compresses it causes tiny fractures in the resin. They basically made a one-time use sub as each time it was used the carbon fiber became weaker. There was no way to test how weak it had become because testing it would further weaken it.