David Lochridge testified at a Coast Guard hearing into the deadly implosion.
This undated image courtesy of OceanGate Expeditions, shows their Titan submersible beginning a descent.An OceanGate whistleblower testified during a United States Coast Guardof the Titan that he had "no confidence" in the way the experimental submersible was being built.
Former OceanGate's Director of Marine Operations, David Lochridge, center, testifies, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in front of the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, in North Charleston, S.C.When asked by the Marine Board of Investigation for the U.S. Coast Guard if he had confidence in the way the Titan was being built in 2017, Lochridge said, "No confidence whatsoever, and I was very vocal about that, and still am.
. Documents reviewed by ABC News stated that it was clear Lochridge and Rush were "at an impasse" regarding the Titan hull and "the only option was the termination of your employment.""I didn't want to lose my job," Lochridge said. "I wanted to go to Titanic. It was on my bucket list. I wanted to dive this, but dive it safely."
A defect was discovered in the first prototype of the carbon-fiber hull in 2019 and it was not used on Titanic missions, the Coast Guard said. During his testimony, Lochridge said he started being phased out of his duties after he inadvertently "embarrassed" Rush during a 2016 dive to the Andrea Doria shipwreck on OceanGate's Cyclops 1 submersible.
Lochridge said Rush threw the controller at his head and one of the buttons came off, though he testified that he was able to repair it and get them back to the surface.
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