‘People have been lying’

When the Titan Submersible disappeared during the collapse of Titanic in 223, David Lochridge hoped that five people could be rescued – with his former boss.

“I always hope that what happened would not happen. But I know that it would be an event if it continued with the way they are going on and with that shortage equipment,” he told the BBC.

After warning about security issues in 2018, the firm behind the Oshiyangate sub -Oshinjet had removed the visceral blower.

On June 223, all five people, including Sabton Rush, were killed by Sabin Oshiangate’s Chief Executive Officer.

A report published by the US Coast Guard (USG) on Tuesday found that the failure of Oceangate was the main cause of the disaster for security, testing and maintenance.

“There is a lot that can be done differently. From the initial design to the build, from the buildings, to the operations – people were sold false,” Lochridge told the BBC.

But they strongly believe that US authorities should do something more to stop Oshian Gate.

Lochridge joined the Oceangate seven years ago as the director of the company’s Marine Operations. He moved his family from Scotland to the United States, and he was excited about the company’s ambition.

Titanic – Titanic – Oceangate Payment was creating a new submersible to take passengers to the world’s most famous rack.

And he was going to join the project from the very beginning, working in favor of the design team.

The Strait-Toking Glasgian has first worked in the sea for more than 25 years with the Royal Navy and then as a submersible pilot. Responding to the distress call of the people trapped under the water, they led the submarine rescue operation. He knows about the risks that join deep dive.

His responsibilities. As a planned dive and main pilot, it will be 3,800 meters under the wave to see the titanic and take it to his passengers. Security was at the center of his role.

“As the director of Marine Operations, I am responsible for everyone,” he told BBC News. “I was responsible for the safety of all the ocean staff and all the passengers coming into the subway.”

A sample for a new submersible, called Titan, was finally developed in the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). Out of the carbon fiber – the passenger was sitting – this part had a plan to create its hull.

There was no deep diving sub -of this material in the past – most of them have tied from titanium or steel. But Lochridge believed in the APL team.

He said that Oceangate Chief Executive Officer Stocking Rush told them that safety would be evaluated by an independent marine organization known as the certificate of this craft.

It was necessary to observe the third -party – especially because the Titan is made of experimental material.

But by the summer of 2 of the 2 of him, he was having doubts about the project.

Oceangate stopped working with APL and decided to bring Titan’s design and construction at home.

Lochridge was worried. He did not have the same confidence in Oceangate engineers. They told the BBC that they did not think they have experience to be able to resist the immense pressure found in the Titanic room.

They said, “At that moment I started asking questions … and I thought it was my duty to keep asking them.”

When Titan’s parts started to come and the craft began to take shape, Lichriz said that after the problem, he was looking for the problem.

“When Carbon Hol arrived, it was a perfect confusion,” he said.

He saw the visible gap in the material, where the carbon fiber layers were coming together – known as delamination.

And he recognized the problems with other main components.

The Titanium dome was sitting at each end in the carbon fiber hull, but they said that the metal was incorrectly machine. He too was afraid that Sab’s visual port was not designed to work deeply.

Most, he realized that Titan would not be independently certified for security.

He told the BBC that he always talked about security issues – so he would not be silent.

He said, “I brought all the things I was watching… but I just met with resistance,” he said.

In January 2018, he again outlined his concern to Stocking Rush. At this time, Rush asked him to complete the ship’s inspection.

Titan was at an important stage of his development. By the end of that year, the planned Titanic had already given deposits for the dive by the passengers. Before those campaigns began, the test divers was about to start in Bahas.

Lochridge wanted to delay these plans.

“I created a report and I sent it to all the directors of the company.”

The next day, he was summoned to a meeting with Rush and many other Oceangate employees.

The two -hour meeting excerpt, where the itemized report was selected, showed strong exchange between Lochiz and Rush.

At the end of the meeting, Rush says: “I don’t want to die. I have a nice grandchildren. I have a nice grandchild. I have this kind of danger, and I am open to it, and I think this is the safest thing that I am going to do.”

Lochreej was surprised that he was removed immediately after the meeting.

But he was so concerned about Titan that he was contacted by the US government’s professional security and health administration – OSHA.

OSAHA told him that his case was urgent because it was involved in public security and will be kept under the Whistleblower Protection Scheme, if the employees were concerned about safety in the workplace, designed to protect the employers.

As part of this process, OSAHA gave the concern of Titan about Titan in February 2018 to the US Coast Guard (USCG).

But Lochrij says that OSHA wrote a letter to Osinigate to say that they were launching the investigation, everything changed.

In March, Osnigate asked Lochrise to leave the OSHA complaint – and demanded $ 10,000 for legal expenditure. Lochridge rejected.

Then in July 2018, Osinagate filed a claim for luxury – and his wife Carol – violating the contract, trade secrets, fraud and theft. In the next month, Lochridge counters for unjust dismissal.

Lochridge says the OSAHA was slow during the entire process and failed to protect him from the ongoing revenge taken by the Oceangate.

“I gave OSHA all the documents, I was on the phone to OSHA a few weeks later.” He said. “Osha did nothing.”

In December 2018, under the increasing pressure of Osnagate’s lawyers, Lochridge and his wife decided to quit the case.

This means that the legal proceedings were removed and as part of the agreement, Lokriz withdrew its complaint at OSHA. The US Coast Guard also informed that the OSHA stopped its investigation and suspended the complaint. Lochrij also signed the non-revelation agreement.

“Carol and all I did physically, we just got to that stage that we were completely burnt … we had nothing left to give. They beat us.”

Oceangate continued fast with his plans to reach the Titanic.

In 2 and and 2 in, Prototype Sabbi Dive the first Test in Bahamas – one, driven by Stockton Rush, which reached a depth of 3,939 meters.

Sub -Carbon Fiber Hull later found a crack and became the second version of Titan in 2, with Hull damage in 2020.

In 2021, the company started taking passengers to Titanic, and the next two summer became 13 dives for the famous debris.

But in June 2023, the sub disappeared with five people, including Stocking Rush. After a few days of anxiety waiting, the debris found garbage on the sea floor.

Last year, at a public hearing of the United States Coast Guard, Lomichrez criticized the OSHA for lack of action. “I believe that if the OSHA has taken seriously the concerns I have raised on many occasions, this tragedy may have been restricted.”

“It didn’t have to happen. That didn’t happen. It should be stopped.”

OSHA spokesperson Shri. Responding to Lochridge, his visual blower protection program was limited to protecting individuals from gaining the employer revenge. He said in his examination that was “the general process of revenge and the timeline”.

OSAHA said that the basic allegations of viscellows for public safety do not inquire into the basic allegations… but instead refers to the right agency – in this case, the American Coast Guard.

The spokesperson said: “Not OSHA, but the Coast Guard had a work area to investigate the allegations of Mr. Lochrree regarding the safe design and construction of the ship’s ship.”

But the US Coast Guard’s disaster report agree with Lochridge and says that the OSHA slowly lost the opportunity for government intervention.

The report also criticizes the lack of effective communication and coordination between OSHA and USCG.

Mr. An investigation has been found that the OSHA received an email before the Coast Guard for the complaint of Lochridge. It was sent to a staff member who had the responsibility of observing OSHA cases – but the staff went to a new job in the agency.

Jason Newbur, chairman of the USCG Marine Investigation Board, told the BBC that the Coast Guard could have done more.

“In this case the system has not worked for the visceral blower and so we just need to be healed – and we have it.”

Osigngate said he injured the permanent operation in the wake of the accident and directed his resources to cooperate with the inquiry.