Titan implosion hearing paints picture of greed, explorer passion [Video]

Witnesses testified that the company that operated an experimental deep-water submersible that imploded, killing five people, put profits over safety and ignored warning signs before the disaster. Several company officials, meanwhile, spoke of the explorer spirit and taking calculated risks to push humankind’s boundaries.See excerpts from the hearing in the video aboveThose different viewpoints emerged as the Coast Guard panel on Friday wraps up two weeks of testimony on the Titan disaster last year. The panel is tasked with determining why the carbon-fiber submersible was lost 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) deep on the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic.Testimony painted contrasting images of greed and hubris as OceanGate sought out well-heeled clients for its submersible made from carbon fiber — a material that was untested at such depths — versus modern-day explorers who carefully considered risks as they sought to open the deepest depths of the world’s oceans …