OceanGate’s former operations director, David Lochridge, shed light on the money-making ethos that drove the ill-fated Titan submersible and ultimately led to the tragic loss of five lives during a hearing into the disaster. Lochridge, who worked in this capacity for two years before being dismissed in January 2018, revealed that profit was the primary goal of the company, with little emphasis on scientific integrity.
Lochridge’s testimony echoed the sentiments of other former employees who had criticized the firm’s founder, Stockton Rush, as volatile and challenging to work with. Rush, along with British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding, father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, and Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet, tragically perished in the submarine accident as they ventured towards the Titanic wreckage in June of the previous year.
Upon inspecting the initial Titan hull, Lochridge expressed shock and dismay at the substandard quality, describing the O-ring seal as subpar and the hull itself as “porous paper.” His assessment of the second Titan hull used in the fatal expedition was equally damning, noting that many components were recycled, compromising the vessel’s integrity in the pursuit of cost savings.
Lochridge went on to characterize the Titan submersible as “an abomination,” pointing to a lack of oversight in its construction process. He recounted raising safety concerns with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), only to receive a threatening response from the company’s legal team. This pattern of disregard for safety measures and quality standards underscored OceanGate’s profit-driven approach, according to Lochridge.
The former operations director attributed the shortcomings in the Titan’s construction to a combination of cost-cutting measures, poor engineering decisions, and a rush to capitalize on Titanic expeditions for financial gain. He criticized the lack of expertise within the organization, highlighting Rush’s inexperience in building submersibles and the hiring of inexperienced staff.
As the investigation delved deeper into the events leading up to the tragic incident, Lochridge revealed a pattern of rushed decision-making and a culture of prioritizing profits over safety. He emphasized that the organization’s focus on marketing and social media presence often masked the underlying issues plaguing their expeditions, which frequently encountered difficulties.
The Titan submersible’s final dive on June 18, 2023, marked a harrowing conclusion to the ill-fated expedition, culminating in the loss of contact with its support vessel and a frantic search effort in the waters off Newfoundland. Despite global attention and a massive search operation, the Titan’s wreckage was eventually discovered on the ocean floor, a tragic reminder of the consequences of prioritizing financial gain over safety and integrity.
Subheadings:
1. Profit Over Safety: The Money-Making Ethos of OceanGate
2. Quality Concerns: The Substandard Construction of the Titan Submersible
3. Rushed Decisions and Tragic Consequences: The Fatal Expedition to the Titanic
