Latest investigations have revealed how a former employee of OceanGate, identified as David Lochridge was reportedly fired for voicing his concern about the missing Titanic tourist submarine.
PUNCH METRO reported that the submersible designed to transport visitors to the Titanic went missing alongside its crew on board since Sunday, sparking a massive search and rescue operation.
The vessel lost contact with the submersible about one hour and 45 minutes into the dive, according to the US Coast Guard.
A French Explorer, British-Pakistani Business men and others who were in the missing tourist Titanic submarine.
Following the incident, Lochridge, who served as the firm’s director of marine operations at the time, stated that he was fired after voicing concerns that the missing Titanic tourist submersible.
After Lochridge declined to approve human tests of the first models of the submersible, claiming safety concerns, OceanGate filed a breach of contract lawsuit against him. After Lochridge was let go, OceanGate sued him for leaking proprietary Titan information.
Lochridge filed a mandatory counterclaim against the firm, alleging wrongful termination for being a whistleblower over the submersible’s quality and safety.
According to Lochridge’s lawsuit, his firing was an attempt to quiet him.
“Given the prevalent flaws in the previously tested 1/3 scale model, and the visible flaws in the carbon end samples for the Titan, Lochridge again stressed the potential danger to passengers of the Titan as the submersible reached extreme depths,” the complaint said, according to the New Republic.
“The constant pressure cycling weakens existing flaws resulting in large tears of the carbon,” it continued. “Non-destructive testing was critical to detect such potentially existing flaws in order to ensure a solid and safe product for the safety of the passengers and crew.”
The two parties eventually reached an agreement, the terms of which were not disclosed.
