Former Employee Highlights Safety Lapses in Titan Submersible Incident

David Lochridge, a former operations director at OceanGate, has voiced concerns about safety issues with the Titan submersible, which tragically imploded during its expedition to view the Titanic wreckage in June 2023. In his statements during a public hearing initiated by the US Coast Guard, Lochridge claimed that safety incidents were inevitable due to the company’s disregard for standard protocols.

Lochridge explained that, as early as 2018, he had expressed significant concerns about the submersible’s safety. He was dismissed from his position for raising these issues and for allegedly disclosing confidential information. He then countersued OceanGate for wrongful dismissal. “The whole idea of OceanGate was to make money,” he stated, lamenting the lack of scientific integrity in the company’s ventures.

He highlighted his apprehension with Titan’s design, particularly the use of carbon fiber, which he believed would degrade with every dive undertaken. He accused the company and its CEO, Stockton Rush, of arrogance for choosing not to collaborate with experts from the University of Washington in developing the Titan, opting instead to carry out all engineering internally.

During the hearing, officials also revealed that the Titan had undergone several equipment failures in previous dives and had not been subject to third-party testing. Tony Nissen, former engineering director at OceanGate, recounted how he had once refused to enter the submersible, stating that he felt pressured to ensure its readiness for diving.

The tragic implosion resulted in the death of five crew members: Stockton Rush, British explorer Hamish Harding, French maritime expert Paul Henri Nargeolet, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, and Dawood’s 19-year-old son, Suleman. Following the incident, OceanGate suspended all exploration and commercial activities.