The OceanGate Titan Tragedy: Take Aways for the American Blue Economy | American Blue Economy Podcast

July 19, 2023

Reflecting on the Titan tragedy and the blue economy

On the July episode of the American Blue Economy Podcast, our host Rear Admiral, Tim Gallaudet, PhD, US Navy (ret) joins our producer Tyler Buckingham to assess the unfortunate implosion of OceanGate's submersible Titan while diving on the wreck of the RMS Titanic, killing all of her crew. While drawing on past episodes on ocean mapping and exploration, shipwrecks, and an interview with the man who found Titanic, Dr. Robert Ballard, Tim and Tyler call for an international convention on submersible safety standards like that established for the safety of life at sea (SOLAS) after the sinking of Titanic. At the same time, they emphasize that over-regulation of ocean exploration and mapping, with human-occupied vehicles and robots, is not needed because of the stellar safety record of these activities and their importance to nationall, natural, and economic security. Dedicated to our fellow ocean explorers who were lost too soon, this show encourages the marine technology community not to put a pause on what was their greatest passion.

Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Adm. Tim Gallaudet

Rear Admiral Gallaudet, PhD, USN (ret) is the CEO of Ocean STL Consulting. From 2017-2021, he served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / Deputy NOAA Administrator, and from 2017-2019 he also served as the Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere / NOAA Administrator. As Acting Administrator, he led the agency comprised of 20,000 federal employees and contractors managing the nation’s fisheries, coastal resources and waterways, weather satellites, weather services, and environmental research, overseeing a $6B annual budget and daily operations of 18 environmental satellites, 16 oceanographic ships, 9 aircraft, 450 boats, and 400 technical divers, 6 supercomputers, over a dozen laboratories, and several hundred field sites across the country. As the Deputy Administrator, he led NOAA’s Blue Economy activities that advance marine transportation, sustainable seafood, ocean exploration and mapping, marine tourism and recreation, and coastal resilience. Prior to NOAA, Rear Admiral Gallaudet served for 32 years in the US Navy, completing his career as the Oceanographer of the Navy. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy, and Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, all in oceanography.