Netflix Titan documentary shows moment OceanGate CEO fires experienced pilot who raised safety concerns
Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster delves into the accounts of staff members and the events that led to the Titan submersible's implosion on June 18, 2023, resulting in the deaths of five people inside.
Lochridge, OceanGate's former director of marine operations, held reservations about the vessel 's carbon fibre hull and said he only entered the project on the assumption that the Titan sub would become 'classed' – meaning that it would be independently certified as safe.
Sub-expert Rob McCallum said he pulled out of the project the day Rush decided to proceed without third-party classification.
The contentious relationship between Lochridge and the CEO came to a head when Rush steered the sub into a dangerous position during a trip to the SS Andrea Doria wreckage ahead of the Titan tour. An incident, the former sub-pilot said, was 'a complete turnaround' and resulted in the end of their relationship.
In one clip, taken from inside the sub, Rush is seen almost crashing the vessel into a debris field, forcing Lochridge to intervene.
Lochridge said he was ostracized from the Titan project following that trip, adding that he became 'totally out of the loop.'
On January 18, 2018, Lochridge submitted a scathing report to Rush and other senior staff outlining the dangerous risks posed by Titan's inefficient hull design and the company's testing methods. A day later, Lochridge was asked to attend a meeting with Rush, Bonnie Carl, the HR director, Scott Griffith, the quality assurance director, and Tony Nissen, the engineering director.
'What brought this on? How long have you had some of these concerns?' Lochridge is asked by Rush during the January 2018 meeting.
'What led up to this, and what's your goal with this document?'
Lochridge, who appears taken aback, responds, 'I, I, no. The goal for this document for me is the safety of anybody that goes in there, including you.'
Rush, who grew angered during the discussion, continues to say: 'It's completely opposite of what everyone else says. Everyone says, 'Oh, carbon fibre can't handle compression.' They're full of s*** and I've proven them to be full of s***.
'You know this has been an eight-year project,' he says. 'I know what the hell I'm talking about,' he continues before asking Lochridge to continue explaining himself.
'In terms of you going in the submersible, I am so against you doing it,' Lochridge says.
'We should be putting that sub on a wire, with everything that's experimental which you're doing.'
Rush interjects, stating, 'I know that's your issue. A wire is not without safety issues for one, and secondly, this is how we're doing it, period.'
'I've looked at it. What you do is you set a testing program where you do it incrementally. It's not just going to go to 3100 [metres] and be perfect and at 3200 [metres] it all goes anyway. That ain't going to happen, and I will put my life on the line to say that ain't going to happen,' Rush says, in the haunting clip.
'I don't want anybody in this company who is uncomfortable with what we're doing. We're doing weird s*** here, and I am definitely out of the mold.
'I'm doing things that are completely non-standard and I'm sure the industry thinks I'm a f******* idiot,' he states.
Rush said he would continue at all lengths in his pursuit of success, no matter what anyone else thought.
Lochridge, who was left shell-shocked by the interaction, said Rush's decision was understood and felt 'gutted' about how things deteriorated to that point.
The departure of Lochridge meant that OceanGate operations had to be made more secure as life at the company would continue under the leadership of a 'narcissist and a psychopath,' according to former engineering director Tony Nissen in the documentary.
HR director Bonnie Carl also left the company following that meeting.
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The Sun
17 hours ago
- The Sun
I predicted dad's death & deadly disaster before it happened…now I see dead people – how you can use psychic abilities
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As a child, Alysa would see "entities" and even spotted a dark figure standing over her mum's bed in one of her first chilling experiences of the afterlife. She says: 'When I was four and sleeping in my mom's bed, she was turned away from me and facing a mirror. 'I stirred awake in the night and saw in the mirror a grey, non-human, semi-translucent figure lying over my mom's reflection. 'I can only describe this as the feeling you might get if you're in a situation with a predatory animal and you don't want to move too much or make yourself known, even though you are making eye contact. 'We had this spooky moment of acknowledgement, like it knew I was looking at it, and then it sank into her body. 'I was always scared at night. I also saw beings who were not 'negative' – similar in their shadowy nature, but they had this electric outline around their figure. 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The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
The beauty industry loves argan oil. But demand, and drought, are straining Morocco and its trees
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Hafida El Hantati, owner of one of the cooperatives that harvests the fruit and presses it for oil, said the stakes go beyond the trees, threatening cherished traditions. 'We must take care of this tree and protect it because if we lose it, we will lose everything that defines us and what we have now,' she said at the Ajddigue cooperative outside the coastal town of Essaouira. A forest out of time For centuries, argan trees have supported life in the arid hills between the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlas Mountains, feeding people and animals, holding soil in place and helping keep the desert from spreading. The spiny trees can survive in areas with less than an inch of annual rain and heat up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit). They endure drought with roots that stretch as far as 115 feet (35 meters) underground. Goats climb trees, chomp their fruit, and eventually disperse seeds as part of the forest's regeneration cycle. 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The trees are a project that Morocco began in 2018, planting 39 square miles (100 square kilometers) on private lands abutting the forests. To conserve water and improve soil fertility, argan trees alternate rows with capers, a technique known as intercropping. The idea is to expand forest cover and show that argan, if properly managed, can be a viable source of income. Officials hope it will ease pressure on the overharvested commons and convince others to reinvest in the land. The trees were expected to begin producing this year but haven't during a drought. Another issue is the supply chain. 'Between the woman in the village and the final buyer, there are four intermediaries. Each takes a cut. The cooperatives can't afford to store, so they sell cheap to someone who pays upfront,' Id Bourrous, the union president, said. The government has attempted to build storage centers to help producers hold onto their goods longer and negotiate better deals. So far, cooperatives say it hasn't worked, but a new version is expected in 2026 with fewer barriers to access. Despite problems, there's money to be made. During harvest season, women walk into the forest with sacks, scanning the ground for fallen fruit. To El Hantati, the forest, once thick and humming with life, feels quieter now. Only the winds and creaking trees are audible as goats climb branches in search of remaining fruits and leaves. 'When I was young, we'd head into the forest at dawn with our food and spend the whole day gathering. The trees were green all year long,' she said. She paused, worried about the future as younger generations pursue education and opportunities in larger cities. 'I'm the last generation that lived our traditions — weddings, births, even the way we made oil. It's all fading.' ___ Islam Aatfaoui contributed reporting. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Three people killed after a small airplane crashed off California coast
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