James Cameron Speaks Out on Lost Sub: ‘I’m Struck by the Similarity of the Titanic Disaster Itself’

James Cameron is speaking out on the tragic Titan submersible voyage.

The Oscar winner and avid underwater adventurer told ABC News that after participating in over 33 dives, he is well-acquainted with the dangers of deep-sea exploration.

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“I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship, and yet he steamed at full speed into an ice field on a moonless night. And many people died as a result, and for a very similar tragedy, where warnings went unheeded, to take place at the same exact site, with all the diving that’s going on all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing,” Cameron said. “It’s really quite surreal, and of course, PH [Paul-Henry Nargeolet], the French legendary submersible dive pilot, is a friend of mine. It’s a very small community. I’ve known PH for 25 years for him to have died tragically in this way is almost impossible for me to process.”

The Titan submersible was operated by OceanGate Expeditions. Five people, including Nargeloet, were aboard the vessel that went missing on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean near the site of the Titanic shipwreck. OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was piloting the submarine.

Per a press conference held Thursday afternoon, debris from the submersible was found 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic. The submersible is thought to have succumbed to a catastrophic implosion after being unable to withstand the ocean’s pressure at such depths.

“Well, I’ve been down there many times. I know the right side very well,” Cameron said. “I actually calculated that I spent more time on the ship than the captain did back in the day. And of course, as a submersible designer myself, I designed and built a sub to go to the deepest place in the ocean, three times deeper than the Titanic. So I understand the engineering problems associated with building this type of vehicle and all the safety protocols you have to go through.”

“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families,” Rear Admiral John Mauger said in a news conference (via The New York Times).

Watch Cameron’s full ABC News statement below.

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