Titan: To the Titanic and Back 13½ Times

The Discovery and Netflix films have now both been released.

As expected, they are "docu-dramas" scripted to beat on Stockton Rush. The technical details were slim.

That is where this book fills the void. The information in this book explains the impact of the decisions made by Stockton to give better context to films.

It's not written with the intent to simply disparage Stockton Rush. However, the analysis of decisions is thoughtful and honest.

Each chapter is special due to the arduous task of combining testimony about a particular subject from multiple witnesses over nine days of hearings.

Exploring the Titan Submersible Disaster

This book was written under the auspices of a U.S. Coast Guard Author Assistance Agreement, and the content has been reviewed.

70+ Hours of Testimony

22 Witnesses Under Oath

The Quotes are Timestamped for Reference

You Get the Crucial Highlights and Data!

Titan Submersible Analysis

Explore the implosion of Titan through detailed analysis and witness testimonies in this compelling reference book.

Discover engineering decisions and their impact on the Titan through custom illustrations. Three chapters discuss aspects of the hull. Single chapters are devoted to the viewport and the titanium rings.

Hearing images are also improved and annotated.

"I don't believe we received any feedback, you know, we really never saw a full-up design or analysis from OceanGate (USCG, 9/26/24, Negley, 2:09:18)

All quotes from witnesses used in the book have a timestamp for the point in the hearing where that exchange occurred. It is simple to find the exchange and hear it for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

This book will serve as a reference for years to come.

Witness Accounts

"The power of the arch is what makes acrylic windows really strong" (USCG, 9/25/24, Kohnen, 3:38:35)

"They, that was a was a tough group to work with. They had a different mindset on how to proceed with the program than we did" (USCG, 9/20/24, Dyer, 2:27:10)

"I, yeah, I wouldn't say that there was no effort. There was, there was no desire by Stockton to go do it" (USCG, 9/16/24, Nissen, 2:23:22).

Engineering Decsions

"I believe the finances were just getting very tight at that time" (USCG, 9/24/24, Bay, 1:23:10).

Titan Submersible Saga in Stories

Each chapter explores an implosion subject in story form. It's a compelling mix of testimony, author analysis and comments, backed by evidence, science, analysis, and illustrations.

This book is the most efficient way to get the important points from the incredibly slow-paced Coast Guard hearings.

It will provide perspective to the documentaries, which will have interviews that are not under oath.

The final reports of the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board will be easier to understand if you read this book.

Exploring the Titan Dive History

The U.S. Coast Guard dive history graphic, taken from their presentation at the hearing, has been modified and improved for the book.

Custom labeling is added to help identify important dives during the expeditions.

Released in These Formats

eBooks (Apple and Android), PDF Download, and Kindle $9.99

Amazon Color Paperback $29.99

eBook - Available Now $9.99

EPUB Format

eBook - Available Now $9.99

EPUB Format

PDF File - Available Now $9.99

Formatted in 8.5 by 11 document size.

Book - Available Now $29.99

Formatted in 8.5 by 11 document size.

Kindle - Available Now $9.99

What Readers Are Saying About the Book

"I just finished reading the book, and I have to say it’s several levels above the Netflix or Discovery documentaries. You literally covered every aspect related to the Titan implosion, giving readers a complete picture of the situation. Great job" (YouTube Comment)

"I'm up to the viewport chapter in your book and I am amazed so far! All of the information is presented so well. Definitely worth the purchase and I can’t wait to get further into it" (YouTube Comment)

"Amazing, I just got my one on Kindle, thanks for all your work." (YouTube Comment)

"Excellent work." (YouTube Comment)

"Just bought it. The coverage has been SOOOOO BORING across pretty much all mediums. The dramatic nonsense is so played out. Thanks for making this, I'll read it over my vacation soon." (YouTube Comment)

"Just bought it yesterday! Wonderful book!" (YouTube Comment)

"Just finished the book and excellent read. I'm an engineer (electrical though, so not super applicable knowledge) and I found your writing to be a perfect mix of informative and technical." (YouTube Comment)

Very informative (5-Stars) This was a very informative read, which allowed me to more easily understand the many engineering issues and other problems of the Oceangate Titan dives. Rather than sensationalizing the tragedy or focusing on the character of Stockton Rush, it gives an analysis of the known data with helpful illustrations, and helps give context to the Coast Guard and NTSB hearings. (Amazon Customer - Amazon Review - Verified Purchase)

A must read for anyone interested in the Titan tragedy (5-Stars) This book provides wonderful insights regarding the OceanGate operations and leaves no stone unturned. At the same time it read as if I was watching an extended Netflix documentary: I was totally emotionally involved in the unfolding of the story, even though we all know how it ends. The author also provides useful commentary to statements made during the hearings in order to provide the reader with an understanding what exactly was being said (or what was implied). Telepun pulls no punches in that regard, while still being highly respectful of everyone involved. Also as a non-engineer, this book is still easily readable while at the same time being very detailed, factual and extensive. Brilliant! (Vito V - Amazon Review - Verified Purchase - Netherlands)

Great Technical Analysis (5-Stars) If you are interested in the Titan implosion and realize the documentaries fall short of explaining everything, this might be a book for you. The author is a MD who as a hobby designed a device to track eclipses. In other words Gordon did not write this book to make money and is technically curious/ oriented. The Coast Guard hearings are a wonderful source of information and are all online, but span 70 hours. If you don't want to watch all 70 hours, or even if you did and just want a condensed version of them, this book is a great resource. The author is deeply interested in the case and has spent many hours analyzing all the testimony to break it down into this book.
Please note there are so many aspects to this case that could be studied for years. This book unapologetically focuses on the technical elements and %90 what was testified to under oath at the hearings. (Karl Stanley - Amazon Review)

Very good personal analysis of the Coast Guard Hearings (5-Stars) Not having the patience to review the entire Coast Guard hearings myself, I found this to be a good high-level summary of the challenges Stockton faced in building his company. It is clear to me now that Stockton had to shift his goal of providing services to marine biologists to a more lucrative scheme over time and just wasn't able to bring down the cost of submersibles like he wanted to. At some point, our technology may make that dream a reality, but like Elizabeth Holmes this case shows what can happen if stubbornness does not face reality.

While the technical details are questionable for a book that hasn't been peer reviewed, as a mechanical engineer I think the technical discussion brings good insight on what it takes to achieve a technically sound piece of machinery. Certification (i.e., objective evidence that a component or machine was built and tested to an agreed to standard) continues to show it's importance to achieving successful results.

As such I think this book does an outstanding job highlighting these topics. (Amazon Customer - Amazon review - Verified Purchase)

Essential piece for understanding the Titan sub (5-Stars) Excellent summary of what we know about the Titan and great analysis on provable failure models. Would definitely recommend. (Daniel Duffee - Amazon Review - Verified Purchase)

A Technical Review (5-Stars) As a person who has followed the Titan since 2021, this book was a good read. It provides a good synopsis of the technical attributes of the submersible and the dynamics at Oceangate that were a factor in the implosion. It tells the story in a factual manner and without the drama that so many media outlets seem to embrace. Thank you, Gordon.. (Joe W - Amazon Review)

Well-researched with clear explanations (5-Stars) I have watched all the testimony of the Titan hearing and Mr. Telepun does an excellent job explaining the technical information clearly so anyone can understand it. If you want to know what happened to the Titan and don’t have time to watch the hearing, this is the book for you. (Cathy Akers Jordan - Amazon Review - Verified Purchase)

TECHNICAL but not too textbook to read (5-Stars) As a trained materials engineer (not carbon fiber) I found this book very interesting, TECHNICAL but not too textbook to read. hopefully there is a v2 update incorporating USCG and NTSB final reports. (Paul Walsh - Google Books - Verified Purchase)

Contact Information

Reach out for questions about the book on the Titan submersible disaster.

Inquiry

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