Wed Sep 18 15:50:33 UTC 2024: ## Former OceanGate Employee Warns of “Inevitable” Titan Tragedy, Claims Safety Concerns Ignored
A former operations director for OceanGate, the company behind the Titan submersible that imploded last year, has testified at a US Coast Guard hearing that he warned the company about serious safety concerns, but was largely ignored. David Lochridge, who was fired by OceanGate in 2018, stated that he believed a tragedy was “inevitable” due to the company’s disregard for safety standards.
Lochridge’s testimony comes as the Coast Guard released video footage of the Titan’s wreckage, showing a broken tail cone and other fragments scattered on the ocean floor.
He expressed doubts about the Titan’s construction in 2017, stating that he had “no confidence whatsoever” in its safety. Lochridge claimed that the company’s primary focus was on “making money” rather than scientific research.
The former employee also detailed a previous incident in 2016, when OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush crashed another submersible while attempting to reach the Andrea Doria shipwreck. During this incident, Rush reportedly threw the controls at Lochridge after panicking and refusing to cede control to another pilot.
Lochridge’s testimony highlights serious concerns about the safety of OceanGate’s operations and suggests that warnings about potential risks were dismissed. The Coast Guard hearing is investigating the circumstances leading to the Titan’s implosion in June 2023, which claimed the lives of five individuals, including Stockton Rush.
First Piper 