OceanGate, the company that manufactured the missing submarine and conducts sightseeing trips to the wreckage of the Titanic, was sued by a former employee who identified “serious” safety problems with the submersible.
According to reports, David Lochridge worked as director of marine operations for OceanGate and was, therefore, “responsible for the safety of all crew and clients.” However, he was fired after he refused to approve manned tests of the submersible after finding “serious safety concerns” and called a meeting with senior company executives to express his concerns and raise recommendations.
“OceanGate gave Lochridge approximately 10 minutes to immediately clear out his desk and exit the premises” after the meeting, according to a court filing.
The company later sued the former employee for allegedly disclosing confidential information and Lochridge countersued, alleging wrongful termination.
“Rather than addressing Lochridge’s concerns, OceanGate summarily terminated Lochridge’s employment in efforts to silence Lochridge and avoid addressing the safety and quality control issues,” the counterclaim states.
Court documents reveal a former OceanGate employee had several safety complaints over the tourist submersible—and then he was fired. https://t.co/0Vd3NhnBl9
— The New Republic (@newrepublic) June 20, 2023
Lochridge’s concerns
The then OceanGate employee was concerned about the potential danger to the Titan’s (the lost vessel) passengers as the submarine reached extreme depths. But this was not all; according to the lawsuit, Lochridge met with engineering personnel and requested documentation of the Titan window pressure tests and was denied access. He later discovered that the submersible’s forward window had been built to a certified pressure of 1300 meters, even though the intention was always to take passengers to depths of 4,000 meters.
“The paying passengers would not be aware, and would not be informed, of this experimental design, the lack of non-destructive testing of the hull, or that hazardous flammable materials were being used within the submersible,” Lochridge’s legal filing asserted.
Although the case was settled out of court in November 2018, it is unclear whether the company went on to address Lochridge’s concerns.
Other industry leaders expressed their concern
According to The New York Times, in 2018, the Marine Technology Society’s Manned Underwater Vehicles committee also expressed concern to OceanGate in a letter about its “experimental” approach.
It is worth noting that, although the letter was sent several years ago, one report from CBS indicates that the submersible company still referred to Titan as “an experimental submersible vessel that has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body and could result in physical injury, disability, emotional trauma or death.”
