The former director of operations testified that Stockton Rush crashed a submersible in 2016 and only gave up control when a tearful passenger screamed at him.
By Jonathan Edwards, The Washington PostThis June 2023 image provided by Pelagic Research Services shows remains of the Titan submersible on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. - killing him and four passengers - had previously crashed a different submersible into a shipwreck, a company whistleblower testified Tuesday.
And the company’s former director of finance and human resources testified that Lochridge told another person in the company that the Titan was “unsafe.” Former OceanGate's Director of Marine Operations, David Lochridge, center, stands during his testimony, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, in North Charleston, S.C.
The journey to the Andrea Doria got off to an inauspicious start. The weather was bad, and the wreckage was “falling to bits,” presenting hazards to the submersible. Rush incorrectly separated the Cyclops from its host, badly bending the drive skids on the bottom of the submersible, Lochridge said. That forced them to wait until a diver gave them the all clear to continue.
Rush then lifted the Cyclops and spun it 180 degrees while it was traveling at full speed, all without looking around, Lochridge said. He rammed the craft into the port side of the wreckage, jamming it underneath. Once they were back aboard the Titan’s support ship, Rush told Lochridge that he owed him one, Lochridge testified. But he added that when others cheered Lochridge for saving them, his relationship with Rush quickly soured.
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