Stockton Rush's OceanGate company behind doomed Titanic descent scrubs itself from the Internet

24 July 2023, 10:26 | Updated: 25 July 2023, 15:29

The company that built and launched the Titan submersible that imploded underneath the waves, killing all five men onboard including CEO Stockton Rush, appears to have erased itself from the Internet.

The social media accounts and website for the company have disappeared, and the company has instead simply left a holding statement saying it has suspended its operations.

The website now says: "OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations" in white font on a black background.

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram pages for the company have all either been deleted or set to private.

The website previously held details about the Titan sub and other vessels operated by the company, as well as other information.

Read more: 'He knows nothing': OceanGate co-founder lashes out at James Cameron after Titan sub criticism

Graphic explains how Titan submersible imploded

The site for the OceanGate Foundation is also down, apparently for maintenance.

The Titan sub lost communication with company operatives on the surface on June 18, sparking a huge search. Debris was found on the sea floor days later and rescuers said that the sub had suffered a catastrophic implosion.

Read more: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush once had to cancel all Titan expeditions after sub's batteries 'accidentally flooded'

Read more: 'Ticking time bomb' Titan sub would have 'collapsed in milliseconds' and 'killed passengers instantly'

The others on board were UK billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul Henry Nargeolet, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Suleman.

Following the incident, it emerged that safety concerns were raised multiple times before, with several people including Ross Kemp and YouTuber Mr Beast having dropped out of doing similar trips.

Read more: French sub expert who died in Titan disaster is honoured by James Cameron for ‘inspiring explorers all over the world’

Read more: Titan's final moments: Viral video shows how the tourist sub imploded killing five people on way to see the Titanic

As the Titanic wreckage is in international waters and the OceanGate expeditions were not operating out of a port, the trips were not subject to safety regulations.

A spokesperson for OceanGate said: "There's no additional information to provide beyond the latest update that OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations' at this time."