Who is David Lochridge? OceanGate fired ex-Marine ops director after he demanded safety checks for Titan submersible

A director who voiced concern about security was sacked by the company that launched the submersible that has now disappeared while on a mission to the Titanic wreckage. The organization, OceanGate, also refused to have the submersible subjected to an independent inspection.

According to a complaint, David Lochridge, a former employee of OceanGate, cautioned in 2018 that lax “quality control and safety” procedures may jeopardize the sub’s safety, which “paying passengers would not be aware” of.

Also Read: OceanGate took 8 hours to alert Coast Guard after losing contact with Titanic submersible: Report

Who is David Lochridge?

David Lochridge was the Director of Marine Operations for the Titan project. He was let go in 2018 because the company rejected his desire for the submersible to undergo more thorough safety inspections, including “testing to prove its integrity.”

In addition, he requested that the corporation do a scan of Titan’s hull rather than depending solely on acoustic monitoring, which would only catch a problem “milliseconds before an implosion.”

The company’s solicitors claimed in a court statement submitted in 2018 that Lochridge’s job was terminated because he ‘could not accept’ its research and plans, including safety standards.

Also Read: Did missing OceanGate submersible implode at 10,000 feet en route to Titanic wreckage?

Lochridge allegedly exchanged private information with third parties, deleted company data, and ‘desired to be fired,’ according to OceanGate. He refused to accept the voracity of information on safety from Titan’s lead engineer, according to the company. 

According to the lawsuit, CEO Stockton Rush instructed Lochridge to evaluate the safety concerns because he was the “best man for the job.” Rush is one of five passengers aboard the missing submarine, along with two prominent explorers and a Pakistani businessman with a teenage kid who lives in the UK.

Also Read: Submersible vs submarine: How is missing OceanGate vessel different?

Titan, which had five personnel on board when it went missing, had lost contact while diving into the Titanic ruin, which is located some 12,500 feet beneath the Atlantic. Before the submersible’s oxygen supply runs out, a hasty search and rescue operation is being conducted to find it and bring it back. Several years ago, Lochridge encouraged OceanGate to request classification because part of his duties on the Titan project entailed managing safety.