Guillermo Söhnlein and Stockton Rush established OceanGate in 2009. The company, according to Söhnlein, was established with the goal of building a small fleet of 5-person commercial submersibles that could be rented by any company or group of people. He stated to Sky News in 2023, “The entire goal was to produce these functioning subs. And in that way, we may “Open the oceans for all of humanity,” as our tagline in the beginning. In 2013, Söhnlein quit the business.
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