The Australian engineer who built James Cameron's submersible said that Cameron was obsessive about every detail and would debate for hours as to whether a titanium washer was better than a stainless steel one. That is the kind of attention to detail and seriousness required for such a dangerous venture. Plus Cameron always went down with two submersibles in case there was an issue.

James Cameron is saying things that many other experts will not say. Good for him.

This man not only dove 30 times on Titanic, but kept and ENTIRE crew underwater shooting a whole movie for more than 6 months, without casualties. Plus he also shot Titanic with 0 issues. This man has real experience on what he´s saying.

Dude goes back and forth from a top-tier Hollywood director who changed the face of film to deep sea explorer and engineer who achieved a world first in exploration - and he's an expert in *both* fields. Unreal.

James Cameron is the only Hollywood celeb I know of that speaks like an engineer or a scientist. No wonder his movies are well crafted. You can see by the way he speaks, he approaches and thinks things systematically.

As an engineer, I’m surprised how knowledgeable he is. Very good explanations of materials, safety protocols and why is STUPID to put a sensor to tell you you are about to die instead of ensuring you will not previously.

“Hoping against hope I was wrong, knowing i wasn’t” I love James Cameron. An expert in what he does

As an aerospace engineer, I am quite impressed by the general engineering knowledge Mr. Cameron has shown in this interview. Very correctly and neatly explained for everyone.

Mind blown that James Cameron is so knowledgeable with physics and engineering and yet has directed one of the most critically acclaimed films amongst other successful films. Multifaceted

As an engineer I’m just as impressed with Cameron’s level of technical knowledge as I am disgusted with the blatant negligence that seems to have been involved with the design of the sub.

My goodness... the level of knowledge that Mr Cameron demonstrated in this short video was amazing. Why did we not see him more on TV or new channels more often? He seemed like a good assessor, probably even worth getting him for certification assessment for any submersibles.

He is incredibly competent. What a man.

So many people don’t realize how experienced James Cameron is in this department just because he happens to direct movies (to fund his ocean exploration). The man is an actual ocean explorer/professional and he has done a lot for the Titanic and deep sea research community. Hearing his thoughts on this is very appreciated and he’s speaking a lot of hard truths. This whole thing sounds like it could have been very preventable if the CEO had heeded the warnings and it’s just tragic.

I had a friend who worked on a James Cameron film in the camera department. He told me "James knew how to do my job better than I did...and that was true for every position on the crew." He is a brilliant individual - as this interview highlights.

Its amazing that the guy, Rush would do this. The weakness was obvious. Cameron explained it in a minute. Carbon Fiber has its uses, but not for deep diving. The biggest parts they found of the Titan are the two titanium ends. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what part failed, even if it was the under-rated glass window. All DSV submersibles have a common design, a personal sphere that holds 1~3 people. The O2 and systems are INSIDE the sphere. With the titan, it looks like it might of been the opposite. They were very proud of their ONE button (ON/OFF switch?) and 1-2 touch screens and a couple of $30 game controllers for 2010. That's everything wrong in design, and that's also what we see in SpaceX and their crew capsules. Designed for looks before function. Amazingly, the Titan lasted as long as it did. It could have failed any number of times before with anything below a few hundred meters would have meant death for the people inside. Also amazing that a billionaire would BE SO CHEAP in making his own vehicle that he himself would be in. "I have a huge bank account. But you know what, I'd rather spend $50 for a component rather than $500. I'm too cheap to spend $25,000 for a new blackbox or $3000 for a used on - "just in case.". The design was to fail, with Rush and his company lying to themselves and their customers about the design defects. When they LIED about "NASA is involved" with their sub, that's a huge red flag.

To say they may have heard the hull failing brings tears to my eyes, because I know how horrified I would feel if I was in that chamber under water with no hope of being able to get back to the surface in time. I'm sure they felt no pain due to how fast the implosion would be once the hull gave way, but the seconds before that I would just close my eyes and pray that God forgives me for all my indiscretions.

My respect for this man just went up to the highest level possible. No judgment or condescension in his words or tone. Very knowledgeable, calm and empathetic. Now I know why everyone admires him.

James is being brutally honest, but speaks with real knowledge and experience - which is exactly the sort of rigour this industry needs and probably what Ocean Gate didn’t want to hear

Words of wisdom from someone who has "been there, done that" the Titanic and Challenger deep. Condolences and prayers to the families of those who perished on the Titan.

I love how Cameron essentially picks up a trade with masters-level knowledge as he goes through life. A true auto-didact and scholar.

I can’t believe he went down to the Mariana Trench on his own in a sub he designed himself. Legend.

James is a prime example that one can be from a non-scientific background but take it upon himself to be a subject matter expert by learning.

JC is an absolute genius. To be such a brilliant director but have a fantastic insight into matters like this is astonishing

I knew as soon as they said they had released the ballast and started an ascent that their early-warning detection system had successfully indicated that the hull was failing.. AND that what dozens of people outside of their organization as well as people inside their organization had been telling them would happen had also occurred. Namely, it didn't matter one bit that they received an early warning; they were already unavoidably doomed the moment that alarm sounded. It is unsettling to think about the absolute horror that must have been gripping them as they ascended in a sub that was suffering catastrophic failure around them and inevitably approaching that critical tipping point to sudden implosion. Probably very reminiscent of the loss of USS Thresher, and the sounds those submariners must have heard as the hull creaked and groaned from excessive pressure, until something somewhere finally gave way and the entire vessel just went boom.

So basically titan ignored all the warnings about their sub design just as titanic ignored all the warnings about the iceberg.

What I like about Cameron is he listens to people when they talk and gives them the answers there looking for. He even goes beyond and goes into detail. I could listen to Cameron talk for hours

Kudos to the interviewer, who's very good at his job, but my goodness, James Cameron is a very, very clever man. He explains things in clear and simple terms. And then, for a brief moment, you sense the wealth of knowledge that sits behind that.

Hubris is the word. The people behind the Titan learned nothing from the people behind the Titanic, and now five more victims share the same graveyard.

As a mechanical engineer - I have so much respect for James. He really has done his due diligence in research and it is commendable.

Listening to him speak reminds me of how my attending surgeons spoke during residency training. Intelligent, no-nonsense, straight forward logic. Lives are at stake, take no risks, no shortcuts, and always be prepared for the worst.

Stockton rush : " Safety is just pure waste " actual quote .

To Mr. Cameron's credit, though he knew what he knew, he kept his thoughts on this tragedy close to his chest until the ship's loss was 100% confirmed.

I've known James Cameron as a master director/producer, but I'm completely floored by the level of his knowledge in engineering and material science. It shows in his dedication to learn and understand every facet and detail of the things he did. What a guy.

I'm not much of a movie buff, but I must tip my hat to James Cameron and his ability to communicate such a technical issue with such clarity. This is by far the most informative interview I've seen about this tragedy. Ten minutes well spent.

I have so much respect for James Cameron. His method of explanation is very clear and simole so that we can all understand.

James truly understands the risk and reward aspect. This combined with consideration and intelligence makes him one of a kind. I would imagine the last idea he would have is to commercialize such a dangerous endeavor.

This was a remarkable interview. Cooper asked legitimate questions and James Cameron answered them completely and succinctly. I'm an engineer but I think he explained the problems with the submarine in a way that any intelligent interested non-engineer could understand. I've alway liked his movies but I have a new respect for him.

James Cameron is so knowledgeable and articulate.

James Cameron is simply a genius, he mastered film making without formal education and he did the same with submersible technology

How humble he is... an example....and extraordinary human being.

Real experts knew damn well that Sub lost signal due to it imploded.

What really broke my heart tonite was reading that the 19 year old didn't want to go...he was scared. His aunt said his dad was "obsessed with the Titanic" and he basically went to support him. 😢💔🙏

His name is James JAMES cameron the bravest pioneer

James Cameron has been down to the Titanic 33 times. He’s an expert on this topic.

Stockton Rush was a Snake oil salesman. Let’s discuss this soberly. The ONLY reason Stockton Rush made a carbon fiber hull, knowing the titanium alloy hull was proven, was because it could be larger diameter. That way he could fit more people and make it a viable business venture. It was about the money, nothing more, nothing less. Because researchers and scientists had already established the method needed to be safe. That is why he didn't want SMEs and wanted younger people and didn't want it tested. He didn't want anyone getting in the way of his business hustle. And by calling the passengers crew members he avoided having to get it permitted, by the U.S. Coast Guard, to carry passengers. Greed, Greed, Greed.

James Cameron is so involved in that issue!I admire his atitude towards the tragic event,but also his concerns expressed right from the start. A brilliant director and such an emphatic person!❤

Cameron is a smart dude but also a brave dude to go 3x deeper than the titanic! Props to him

Wow! He's a genius and so articulate. He managed to call out Ocean Gate's poor engineering and business practices without being insensitive to the situation! What an inspiring human being..

The fact that even James own Submersible Took 7 years, Dozens of test, and him being there every step of the way, and getting every detail he could to near perfection. Tells us, He completely understands the risk, Knows not to cut corners, and test out everything as much as possible. The fact the CEO was warned multiple times, cut corners, and wouldn't get it certified tells us. He didn't care and just wanted things his way. This could have been avoided, if he just tried not to have his Ego boosted.

Cameron - what a great man. World class filmmaker, pioneer in underwater exploration, sounds like a good engineer and behind the scenes, does lots of philanthropic work.

Common sense and humility goes a long way, and James Cameron is an example of this

As a former structural engineer I’m very impressed by Cameron’s engineering savvy. Give this man an honorary degree in engineering!

James Cameron has a great way of explaining complicated engineering and making it seem easy to understand.

He really draws artention to fatigue which is definitely the root cause of this disaster. Carbon composite fatigue delaminations are nasty since they are 100% invisible from outside. I hardly believe that a regular tap test inspection of the whole fuselage was put in place after each dive...

Seeing the transcript of the last messages now, it's impressive how much he got it right. Especially the fact that they could hear the cracking noises.

It’s so refreshing to see someone famous like Cameron being interviewed by mainstream media talking so deeply and technically about a topic he knows well.

"false hopes that kept getting dangled" he is a craftsman with his words as well, very well said. Also the balls of Cameron to dive alone in a confined space to a depth 3 times that of the Titanic, what an incredible human.

This interview was excellent. I learned so much just by watching this video. Thank you James Cameron for informing us all.

Former passengers have described hearing cracking sounds while underwater; witnessing incidents of propulsion system failures; and battling a loss of communication mid-dive. David Lochridge, who served as OceanGate's director of marine operations, said he was wrongfully terminated after he questioned the company's refusal to conduct "critical" testing on the Titan. Noting "visible signs of delamination and porosity" on the carbon-fiber hull, which Lochridge said suggested the hull could come apart after repeated dives - as it ultimately did.

It's so incredible James went down 3x deeper than the Titanic in a sub manned by himself ! James Cameron is an incredible man outside of filming the biggest movies ever.

I had no idea James Cameron is basically a pro at this. I thought he was called to give his two cents since he created the Titanic movie, little did I know that he's done those kinds of underwater trips multiple times and has his own submersible. Hats off to you JC.

I fully expect someone to make a movie about this incident. Not that I'd want that, I just expect someone will think "that's a nice story we can sell!". I have much respect to mr. James Cameron, and it's refreshing to see someone who is a celebrity but also - an actual expert in the technical aspects of the subjects he's been interviewed about.

If they actually heard the sub starting to delaminate under the pressure before it imploded, that is truly terrifying.

I’ve watched a lot of interviews on this event and everyone always circles around the questions. I left those videos feeling like I gained no information. James was straight to the point and very informative. Average people with no knowledge of this stuff can actually get an understanding by the way he words and explains things.

Cameron isn't just multi-talented, he's also down to earth (or at least he was back around 2006(?) He was at the Oscars and got the same swag bag as everyone else. iPod shuffles came in the bags that year. When his didn't work, he didn't call the "I'm a star" line of have an assistant do it for him. He called our regular helpline himself, and was very courteous to my friend, and happy to follow troubleshooting steps. A very smart guy who's very engaged in whatever he's doing. He's a righteous dude.

The Trieste was an Italian-built bathyscaphe (immersion sphere built in stainless steel at the Terni steelworks with a thickness of 12.6 cm and porthole in truncated cone quartz made at the Galileo workshops in Florence), designed in Switzerland, seen and entered into service in the United States Navy from 1958 to 1971. On January 23, 1960 he descended to the bottom of the Mariana Trench achieving the human record for depth below sea level, 10,916 meters with human crew, equaled only 52 years later when the Canadian director James Cameron made the solo descent aboard the bathyscaphe Deepsea Challenger. Two other boats, unmanned, had reached the same depth in the meantime, the Japanese Kaiko between 1995 and 1998 and the US Nereus in 2009. Decommissioned in 1966, the Trieste is exhibited at the Naval Museum in Washington. Stockton Rush could have come to ITALY to ask how to build a boat designed for extreme marine depths !!!!!!!!

As an engineer I greatly appreciated James Cameron's comments which are the best I've seen on the Titan's failure. Essentially it was a flawed project carried out by an "adventurer", not a responsible qualified professional.

Cameron has given the absolute best explanation/perspective of how the tragedy happened. So many more facts that he has revealed, which were not in the original news reports. Obviously, the Titan was nowhere near being safe enough to carry humans to those depths. I also respect that Cameron did not go public with what he knew before the search had concluded. It was the proper thing to do.

He's very well spoken regarding this matter. I wonder why no-one could have stopped this from happening as he mentioned they knew the composite material couldn't handle the pressure?

Wow this man is such a legend. Absolutely icon in his field as an Director . I don't have to go about the movies and it's place on today's ranking and scenario. Apart from that obvious field what a brave man to dedicate himself that much to experience something like that for the process of making movie . The knowledge he carries that braveness and calmness . Just to listen to him os such a gift . Rip to individuals who perished in rarest way possible.

If he only was the man who went the deepest inside our planet, that would be extraordinary enough. But on top of that he's the most successful director in the history of cinema. What a life this man has lived.

The last line is terrifying to think of. Everyone else has been trying to paint a picture of how it was instant and they felt no pain and while that was true at the moment of implosion there is a very good chance they knew what was going to happen moments before it occurred. CEOs legacy will now forever be how negligence killed 5 people.

James did 36 Titanic trips! Legend. The guy knows what hes talking about

I've grown a new level of respect for James Cameron. This man is extremely knowledgeable not bad for a Truck Drive in his previous career

This was hands down the best interview/ segment I've seen since this whole thing began. It was obvious Mr. Cameron knows what he is talking about and he did not sugar coat things.

I could listen to Cameron talk about this all day. He really puts the technical stuff over so clearly.

A basic rule of engineering for safety is that you 'over engineer' for the threats you face, you don't do the 'minimum' and you certainly don't do the 'untested'. You don't have to look far however to see where this approach is departed from and the catastrophic impact it has on injuries and survival rates. The next time you get in your car and drive 50 mph down the road just think about that for a second. Nothing in engineering safety has led to more deaths than the poor approach to safety by design taken in the car industry where profit, aesthetics, buyer appeal etc outweigh safety in almost every respect.

People are surprised that the greatest movie director to have ever lived also happens to be intelligent and eloquent anbd knowledgeable on technical subjects. You don't get to be great at anything unless you are pretty intelligent and multi-faceted and knowledgeable and curious, and humble. Great guy.

Mad respect for James Cameron. Did not know that he was so experienced in deep water submergence.

James Cameron said earlier that he was invited a few times by the owner of OceanGate and Stockton Rush to dive down in the sub with them and he declined each time. Says a lot about what he thought of their entire operation.

Titanic and deep sea is something James Cameron is a real expert on. They should have just asked him to help with the project.

He is so brilliant. I love how he basically calls out the government for knowing so early and putting on a fake search and rescue. What a waste of time on resources. Did they see a need at first to cover it up?

As a submariner, the very idea of only relying on acoustic sensors to detect hull integrity an absolutely insane idea. Anyone who has ever looked into submersibles would know that it only requires a very small amount of damage to cause an issue. At that depth, any type of mistake will provoke a near instantaneous implosion. At those depths, there are no fixable problems when it comes to the pressure hull. Very likely the acoustic sensors detected the issue (Cameron said that it would be delamination), they were near the target depth, they dropped ballast, but then they had likely a several minute climb still under extreme pressure to reach the surface. There was simply no way that those sensors were anything other than a false security blanket.

Wow… so James Cameron is not just a filmmaker, but also a deep sea explorer, a submarine engineer & an innovator too? Impressive indeed! This explains his fascination with the ocean & water themed movies! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I have always loved James Cameron for his dedication to his craft. I remember learning about how many dives he took to Titanic for the film, and if I recall correctly some of the actual footage in the film was stuff he actually recorded. If there is anyone who knows his facts about going that deep in the ocean, it's Cameron. I'm glad he is speaking out about this in a respectful manner and giving easy to understand facts.

This has to be the best video on the Titan I have seen yet! James Cameron knows his topic! I would think that they did hear signs before it happened too, like he said at the end. To know you would die just moments before it happened would be terrible.

I'm astonished by how well-spoken Cameron is. He is able to explain things to the layman with great clarity.

Anderson makes a good point. One big difference between Cameron- who gave proper attention to the durability and safety of his own craft- is that when Cameron did his dives, _he didn't take on _*_passengers._* So Stockton Rush not only chose to take big risks with his design, but by inviting tourists onboard, he had them share those risks while they paid him.

I love Jame's method for lighting up the deep ocean so I can see the mountains and valleys.

As a Safety Professional, there are so many learnings here. I admire James' attention to detail and involvement in the process directly.

I think the lesson here is pretty clear. Aerospace engineering is not the same as submersible engineering. While they share core engineering principles, you can't simply take the solutions used in aviation and plop it in the ocean.

Like others here I’m really impressed with this interview. I know James Cameron has visited the Titanic site many times but I forgot or didn’t know he was such an innovator and expert in this field. Great explanation.

I have all the respect in the world for James Cameron. He really knows his stuff and is obviously an incredibly brilliant guy. I'm a machinist and so i am familiar with the matetials they are talking about, and he knows more about them than I do. He's obviously spent countless hours working his butt off learning all this stuff from other brilliant minds. Kudos to you sir.

This man got some gutz. Single handedly dived into the challenger deep. I wonder what was going on in his mind while in that dark pit alone.

This is one of those rare occasions where a celebrity chimes in on a tragedy. But in this case he is very involved and knowledgeable about this line of work. To the point it is actually very interesting and compelling to hear his opinion on the matter.

I appreciate his bluntness, no need to sugarcoat the absurdity of this accident. My earnest prayers to the family. Some accidents are completely and totally avoidable. I pray the deaths were quick and no suffering.

James Cameron's explanation helped me immensely to understand what actually happened and why. I am not familiar with submersibles by any means so I thank him for aiding me in comprehending the mechanics and science behind this incredibly sad failure. My heart broke to learn that the 19 year old son was terrified to do the excursion but did it for his dad because it was Father's Day. You don't forget a story like this. With sincere condolences for the lives lost and to the family and friends left behind. May it remind us all how precious life is. Stay safe everyone. ❤

7:36 Kudos to the interviewer for letting Cameron speak, trying his best even with the delay.

Jesus...that last point that he says "I think they probably heard and that's a horrifying prospect"

I had no idea that James Cameron was so accomplished and had such varied interests. He designed and built his own submersible. How impressive is that? In addition to his other not too shabby gig of being one of the best filmmakers ever. What a remarkable guy. He's lived a rich life.