Newly released footage has brought the haunting discovery of the Titan submersible’s wreckage back into the public eye, showing its tail cone resting on the ocean floor months after its tragic implosion in June 2023. The footage, made available by the U.S. Coast Guard, captures the eerie scene where the submersible, en route to the Titanic, met its fatal end, killing all five passengers aboard. As the investigation unfolds, it’s clear that this disaster has raised serious questions about safety in private undersea exploration.
The release of this footage coincides with explosive testimony from David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former operations director, who revealed that he had flagged major safety concerns about the Titan before the ill-fated dive. Lochridge testified that his warnings could have prevented the catastrophe if they had been properly investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). “I believe that if OSHA had attempted to investigate the seriousness of the concerns I raised on multiple occasions, this tragedy may have been prevented,” Lochridge said.
Lochridge’s concerns about the Titan’s safety date back to 2018, when he filed an official complaint with OSHA. However, the case languished, and no investigation was launched before the submersible’s final voyage. Frustrated by the lack of action and after clashing with OceanGate’s leadership, Lochridge ultimately left the company, feeling that his concerns were ignored in favor of expedience and profit.
Footage of the OceanGate submarine wreckage has been released by the US Coast Guard pic.twitter.com/5Q4szq2NZC
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) September 18, 2024
According to Lochridge, OceanGate was more focused on rushing the Titan into the water to start making money, despite numerous safety issues. He described the company’s leadership, particularly co-founder Stockton Rush, as being more interested in profit than scientific rigor. Rush, who perished in the implosion, was depicted as volatile and difficult to work with by multiple former employees who have testified during the ongoing hearing.
Lochridge’s testimony paints a picture of a company recklessly pushing the limits of deep-sea exploration without the necessary safeguards. “There was no way I was signing off on this,” he said, explaining how he had no confidence in the construction and operational protocols of the Titan. Despite being fired after raising his concerns, Lochridge continues to believe the tragedy was avoidable, had his warnings been heeded.
The hearings have further exposed the precarious nature of private ventures into extreme environments like the deep ocean. OceanGate’s rapid push to get the Titan into the water, combined with the lack of independent review—a standard practice in submersible construction—has left many in the undersea community questioning how such an oversight was allowed to happen.
Tony Nissen, OceanGate’s former engineering director, echoed these sentiments, stating that he “100 percent” felt pressure to get the Titan operational. Nissen also revealed that he had refused to pilot the submersible, citing distrust in the operations staff, and stopped its dive in 2019 due to safety concerns.
The Titan’s final dive on June 18, 2023, ended in tragedy when communication was lost less than two hours into its descent. The submersible imploded, leaving debris scattered just 330 yards from the Titanic’s bow. Despite frantic rescue efforts, the wreckage was found days later, confirming the worst.
As the investigation proceeds, OceanGate is now defunct, with no full-time employees remaining. The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation, the highest level of marine casualty inquiry conducted by the Coast Guard, will likely bring forth recommendations that could reshape the future of private submersible expeditions. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting its own investigation, with findings from both inquiries expected to inform stricter oversight in this high-risk industry.
