Former Director of Marine Operations Raises Safety Concerns Before Disappearance of Submersible near Titanic
A former director of marine operations for American company OceanGate had expressed concerns about the safety of passengers before being fired, according to court documents from 2018. The submersible, named Titan, disappeared near the wreck of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, prompting a major search operation to find the device and its five passengers.
David Lochridge, a Scottish submarine pilot and diver, began working for OceanGate in 2015 as a freelance contractor before being promoted to director of marine operations. In a complaint, Lochridge claims he was fired in January 2018 after raising significant safety concerns regarding the experimental and untested design of the Titan.
Lochridge had sued OceanGate in response to a lawsuit filed by the company, which accused him of disclosing confidential information
How did OceanGate respond to David Lochridge’s safety concerns before terminating him, and what actions, if any, did the company take to address those concerns
According to recently uncovered court documents from 2018, a former director of marine operations for the American company OceanGate had raised concerns about passenger safety before being terminated. This revelation comes in the wake of the disappearance of the submersible named Titan near the legendary Titanic wreck in the North Atlantic. The incident has led to an extensive search operation to locate the submersible and its five passengers.
The former director, David Lochridge, originally from Scotland and experienced in submarine piloting and diving, had joined OceanGate as a freelance contractor in 2015. Due to his expertise, he was later promoted to the position of director of marine operations. However, Lochridge claims that in January 2018, he was fired immediately after expressing significant safety concerns about the Titan, particularly its experimental and untested design.
This revelation came to light after Lochridge filed a lawsuit against OceanGate in response to the company’s own legal action accusing him of divulging confidential information. The circumstances surrounding Lochridge’s termination and his warnings about the submersible’s safety have raised further questions about the incident and the potential risks faced by its passengers.
As the search for the Titan and its occupants continues, the concerns raised by Lochridge have added another layer of complexity to this already tragic and mysterious case. OceanGate is now facing scrutiny over its decision-making processes and the steps taken to ensure the safety of its passengers. The court documents shed light on the existence of prior safety concerns, providing a backdrop against which the investigation into the submersible’s disappearance can now unfold.
