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☆ OceanGate threatened to sue its former chief pilot in 2018 unless he withdrew allegations that he'd been fired in retaliation for raising safety concerns, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

David Lochridge claimed he was fired in retaliation for raising safety concerns about the sub. Lochridge was fired in 2018 after a meeting with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, where they discussed safety. David Lochridge, OceanGate's former chief pilot, was fired in January 2018 after a meeting with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. The meeting was about safety concerns Lochridge raised in a report about the submersible, which was previously called the Cyclops II, the report said. In his safety report in January 2018, Lochridge pointed to alleged issues that were either defects or unproven, The New Yorker reported.

Persons: OceanGate, David Lochridge, Lochridge, —, Rush, Rob McCallum, Thomas Gilman, Gilman, McCallum, Insider's Tom Porter Organizations: Stockton Rush, Service, Yorker, Titan, US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, OSHA, Rush Locations: Lochridge

☆ These are the 9 safety concerns an ex-OceanGate worker raised with Stockton Rush about the Titan sub, including fears about its carbon-fiber hull, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An ex-OceanGate worker reportedly raised at least nine Titan safety concerns with CEO Stockton Rush. They included fears the carbon-fiber hull could come apart with repeated dives, per The New Yorker. Experts believe the vessel's carbon-fiber hull may have failed first when the submersible imploded and the five people on board, including Rush, died. He also said in a lawsuit that he reported in 2018 that the submersible's safety could be compromised by poor "quality control and safety" protocols that "paying passengers would not be aware" of. Rush had defended the safety of the submersible and repeatedly criticized what he saw as overly safety regulations blocking innovation.

Persons: David Lochridge, —, Lochridge, Rush, Glue, OceanGate Organizations: Stockton Rush, Service, Titan, Yorker, OceanGate Expeditions Locations: OceanGate

Lochridge worked as an independent contractor for OceanGate in 2015, then as an employee between 2016 and 2018, CNN has reported. He soon became tangled in litigation with OceanGate, claiming he was wrongfully terminated for raising concerns about the safety and testing of the Titan. “There’s no way on earth you could have paid me to dive the thing,” Lochridge continued. McCallum, a divemaster who has led expeditions to the Titanic, warned Rush in 2018 about the safety of the Titan submersible, telling the CEO he was putting himself and his clients in danger, CNN previously reported. Salvaged pieces of the Titan submersible from OceanGate Expeditions arrive Wednesday in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, via the Horizon Arctic ship.

Persons: CNN —, ” David Lochridge, Lochridge, ” Lochridge, Rob McCallum, “, McCallum, Rush, David Hiscock, –, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood Organizations: CNN, OceanGate, Stockton Rush, New Yorker, Titan, OceanGate Expeditions Locations: North, New, St, John's, Newfoundland, Labrador, British, French

☆ Photos of the Titan sub's wreckage support the theory that the carbon-fiber hull failed first, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Glimpses of the wrecked Titan submersible wreckage were seen as its remains were brought ashore. Though it's difficult to know for sure, the carbon fiber hull likely failed first, an expert told Insider. The titanium structural rings are intactAn annotated picture of the titanium structural rings pulled from the wreckage of the Titan submersible. OceanGate Expeditions' controversial Titan submersible is thought to have imploded within hours of its descent towards the Titanic wreckage on June 18. These were encased in a metal cage that would have been bound to the carbon fiber hull.

Persons: —, Jasper Graham, Jones, OceanGate, Graham, it's, David Lochridge, It's, Paul Daly Organizations: Service, US Coast Guard, & Marine Engineering, Plymouth University, Titan, CBC News, Canada's CBC, Expeditions, Graham, OceanGate Expeditions, Reuters, Canadian Press, AP

☆ Repeated red flags raised by experts about the Titan's safety are likely to feature in investigations into the tragedy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Ryan Hogg | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Submersible experts raised red flags about the Titan's safety long before it imploded. Investigations into the implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible are likely to examine repeated warnings about the craft's safety and design. Submersible experts raised red flags about the Titan's safety long before it imploded but OceanGate continued its expeditions. "Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation," OceanGate stated. Rush responded and said he was "tired of industry players who try to use a safety argument to stop innovation".

Persons: it's, John Mauger, OceanGate, David Lochridge, Lochridge, Rush, Rob McCallum Organizations: Morning, New York Times, Staff, Transportation, Board of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, US Coast Guard, Stockton Rush, BBC News Locations: Newfoundland

☆ A friend said he warned Stockton Rush about possible defects on the Titan in 2019 after hearing 'cracking' noises
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A friend of Stockton Rush told NewsNation he heard "cracking" sounds after a Titan trip in 2019. Karl Stanley emailed Rush to say that the noises "sounded like a flaw/defect," CNN reported. Rush told him to be prepared for the sounds, caused by the sub's carbon fiber, before his dive. A submersible expert and friend of OceanGate's founder Stockton Rush said he tried to warn him that Titan was flawed years ago. Karl Stanley told NewsNation he heard "cracking" sounds when he went on the Titan sub in April 2019.

Persons: NewsNation, Karl Stanley, Rush, Stockton Rush, Stanley, David Lochridge, Lochridge, OceanGate Organizations: Stockton Rush, CNN, Stockton, OceanGate Locations: Bahamas

☆ OceanGate is 'done' and could get sued even though Titan passengers signed waivers, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Families of the dead Titan submersible passengers could sue OceanGate, a lawyer said. The families' lawyers will argue the risk waivers were void if there was gross negligence, he said. OceanGate could be sued by families of the Titan submersible passengers if investigations into its implosion find gross negligence – even though they'd signed waivers, a lawyer said. He expected their legal representatives would "make whatever arguments they can that this liability waiver will not apply if there's gross negligence." The passengers' families may be able to collect life insurance payouts despite signing waivers, two legal experts told Insider's Erin Snodgrass.

Persons: OceanGate, William Mack, they'd, Hutcher, Citron, Mack, David Lochridge, Stockton Rush, Insider's Erin Snodgrass Organizations: Morning, Titan, Transportation, Board, US National Transportation, US Coast Guard, NTSB, Stockton

☆ Titan submersible: What's next in the search for the imploded submersible?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The discovery led the US Coast Guard to announce the ship likely imploded, killing all five passengers aboard. The Odysseus 6 discovered debris from the Titan submersible about 1,600 feet from the wreckage of the Titanic on Thursday, according to the US Coast Guard. All five are presumed dead after the “catastrophic implosion” of the submersible, according to the US Coast Guard. On Friday, Coast Guard Rear Adm. John Mauger said, “I don’t have an answer for prospects at this time” when asked about recovering remains. A Coast Guard official said Thursday that authorities are discussing how an investigation would unfold since the implosion took place in international waters.

Persons: Paul Hankins, ”, Tom Maddox, “, John’s, Shahzada, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, John Mauger, ” Aileen Marty, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, ” OceanGate, Mauger, Rush, What’s, OceanGate’s, David Lochridge, William Kohnen, OceanGate, classing, ” Rush, David Pogue, don’t, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Titan, US Coast Guard, Research Services, Coast Guard, Forensic Investigators, Deep Energy, Stockton Rush, OceanGate Expeditions, Florida International University, Maritime Horizon Services, Maritime Horizon, Navy, ”, Authorities, Canada, Transportation, Board of Canada, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, TSB, Canadian, Twitter, National Transportation Safety, Marine Technology, American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd’s, Rush Locations: Canada, St, British, French, Newfoundland, John’s, Labrador

The company also boasted of collaborations with reputable institutions that have since denied partnering with OceanGate on the submersible in question. The interior of OceanGate's Titan submersible is seen in 2018. It “hasn’t been used in a crewed submersible ever before,” he said in a video last year. OceanGate appears to have also overstated its relationships with two institutions widely respected for their innovation: Boeing and University of Washington. OceanGate had partnered with UW to create a different submersible before parting ways, the university said in a statement.

Persons: Stockton Rush, “, ” Rush, Rush, OceanGate, ” Rachel Lance, ” OceanGate, ’, Paul Henri, Nargeolet, David Pogue, ”, Pogue, Stockton, ” Stockton, don’t, Don’t, David Lochridge, Lochridge, OceanGate’s, Victor Balta, Balta, Guillermo Sohnlein, wasn’t, Anderson Cooper, Will Kohnen, ” Kohnen, Sal Mercogliano, ” Mike Reiss, ” Reiss, ” It’s, John Mauger, “ You’ve, CNN’s Gabe Cohen, Brad Lendon, Greg Wallace, Veronica Miracle, Allison Morrow, Rob Frehse, Paul Murphy, Celina Tebor Organizations: CNN, Stockton, US Coast Guard, Duke University, KOMO, OceanGate Expeditions, CBS, Getty, Boeing, University of Washington, OceanGate Inc, University of Washington’s, Physics Laboratory, UW, UW School of Oceanography, Titan, Marine Technology, Campbell University, Coast Guard Locations: Stockton, North Carolina, AFP

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Amazon Prime's FTC lawsuit, Instagram's top execs, and the high-risk trips popular with the wealthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But the company had been warned of potential safety issues with the sub as long ago as 2018, a lawsuit says. Amazon Prime's FTC lawsuit. The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday, accusing the company of luring customers into Prime subscriptions and creating a "labyrinthine" process to cancel them. After the FTC sued Amazon over its Prime membership signup and cancellation process, Insider compiled a list of the juiciest highlights from the lawsuit. Here's a look at other high-risk voyages popular with the wealthy, from Everest trips to $750,000 expeditions to the deepest point in the ocean.

Persons: Nathan Rennolds, David Lochridge, Tyler Le, Sylvia Duran Chen, Jasper, Tim Chen, Read, Ford, Tesla's Cybertruck, Jim Farley, Ford wasn't, Shopify, Here's, Hallam Bullock Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, Amazon, FTC, Federal Trade Commission, Google, Gen, EV, Everest, Netflix Locations: London, Everest

☆ Analysis: Titanic sub victims' families could still sue despite liability waivers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jack Queen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

June 22 (Reuters) - Liability waivers signed by passengers on a submersible lost at sea during a dive to the Titanic wreck may not shield the vessel's owner from potential lawsuits by the victims' families, legal experts said. The Titan submersible vanished on Sunday roughly two hours into its dive and was found in pieces on the ocean floor after what the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday was a "catastrophic implosion" of its pressure chamber. The passengers, who paid as much as $250,000 each for the journey to 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) below the surface, are believed to have signed liability waivers. If OceanGate were to fail in such a case, families would be free to file negligence or wrongful death lawsuits. Reporting by Jack Queen; Editing by Amy Stevens and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: OceanGate, ”, Matthew D, Shaffer, Joseph Low of, David Lochridge, Jack Queen, Amy Stevens, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, CBS, OceanGate Expeditions, Reuters, American Bureau of Shipping, Thomson Locations: Texas, Joseph Low of California, Everett , Washington, Washington

☆ What is OceanGate? Meet the company that made a business out of risky deep-sea tours of the Titanic shipwreck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The company has attracted renewed scrutiny since its submersible vessel, Titan, went missing Sunday. In 2018, OceanGate faced a lawsuit from former employee David Lochridge, who said he warned about quality and safety issues related to the Titan vessel. The Titanic shipwreck expeditionsOceanGate has been conducting expeditions of the Titanic ship wreckage since 2021, according to the company's website. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for OceanGate told Insider the company was "unable to provide any additional information at this time." What is the OceanGate Titan?

Persons: OceanGate, Rush, David Pogue, David Lochridge, Pogue, Peter Girguis, Mike Reiss, Reiss Organizations: Stockton Rush, Rush, Morning, OceanGate Expeditions, Titanic, Smithsonian Magazine, Princeton University, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, University of California, The Seattle Times, Smithsonian, CBS, Titan, US Navy, BBC Locations: Everett , Washington, Pitchbook, St, John's, Newfoundland, OceanGate, Harvard

But some experts had worried about its safety, with a former employee and members of a trade group both expressing concerns about the design of the Titan vessel during its development. Lochridge countersued in August 2018, denying that and claiming that OceanGate's lawsuit was an effort to discourage "whistleblowers from coming forth with quality control issues and safety concerns that threaten the safety of innocent passengers." In the letter, Kohnen expressed what he said were widespread concerns about the Titan sub. Kohnen asked the MTS board in 2018 to officially send the letter on behalf of the entire society to Stockton. Stockton was sent a draft of the letter and discussed its contents in a 2018 phone call with Kohnen, in which the men "agreed to disagree" about the safety concerns raised, Kohnen said.

Persons: David Lochridge, OceanGate, Lochridge, Lochridge countersued, Will Kohnen, Kohnen, Stockton, Daniel Trotta, Brad Brooks, Rollo Ross, Donna Bryson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: OceanGate, Lochridge, Marine Technology, Stockton Rush, Reuters, MTS, DNV GL, DNV, Thomson Locations: Everett , Washington, Stockton

☆ Safety concerns about missing Titan vessel voiced by former OceanGate employees years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Celina Tebor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Lochridge worked as an independent contractor for OceanGate in 2015, then as an employee between 2016 and 2018, according to court filings. Court filings from the company indicate there was additional testing after Lochridge’s time at OceanGate, and it’s unclear whether any of his concerns were addressed as the vessel was developed. He said more concerns were raised by contractors and employees during his time at OceanGate, and Rush became defensive and shied away from answering questions during all-staff meetings. In 2022, the legal representative updated the Virginia court on OceanGate’s expeditions in another court filing. “OceanGate decided to cancel the second mission for repairs and operational enhancements” after the vessel “sustained modest damage to its external components,” it reads.

Persons: David Lochridge, Lochridge, Stockton Rush –, “, Rush, OceanGate, of Virginia –, ” Kevin Williams, “ OceanGate, “ Classing Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, OceanGate, Stockton Rush, Titan, Coast Guard, U.S, Eastern, of, University of Washington’s, Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, American Bureau of Shipping, Lloyd’s Locations: Cape Cod , Massachusetts, OceanGate, of Virginia, Virginia

☆ Titan submersible: Search crews heard banging sounds while scouring the Atlantic for manned craft now running out of oxygen
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Nouran Salahieh Ray Sanchez Priscilla Alvarez | Nouran Salahieh | Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The banging on Tuesday first came every 30 minutes and was heard again four hours later, according to an internal government memo update on the search. The search for the missing submersible Titan has broadened to an area about two times the size of Connecticut. It was unclear when exactly the banging was heard Tuesday or how long it lasted, based on the memo. We have to keep working until we find the submersible,” Joyce Murray, minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, told reporters Wednesday. If the submersible is intact, the passengers would be dealing with dwindling oxygen levels and fighting cold, he told CNN.

Persons: Jamie Frederick, ”, Frederick, Stone, ” Joyce Murray, “, Ray Scott “ Chip ” McCord, ” Scott, David Hiscock, we’ve, John Mauger, ” Carl Hartsfield, John Cabot –, Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Sulaiman Dawood, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, ” David Gallo, John’s, Gallo, ” Gallo, Joe MacInnis, who’s, Frederick didn’t, Mauger, David Lochridge, Lochridge, OceanGate, Oceangate, ” OceanGate, Suleman Dawood, Stockton Rush, J, Van Gurley, Gabe Cohen, ” Cohen, Aaron Newman, ” John “ Danny ” Olivas, ” Olivas, CNN’s Victor Blackwell Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Fisheries, Canadian Coast Guard, OceanGate Expeditions, Canadian Armed Forces, New York Air National Guard, U.S . Air Force, “ CBS, Naval, Oceanographic Systems Laboratory, USCG, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Stockton Rush, Strategic Initiatives, Daylight, Horizon Services, US Navy, Facebook, OceanGate, Titan, Manned, Vehicles, Marine Technology Society, New York Times, Times, Stockton, Polar Prince, Navy, KOMO, CBS Locations: Connecticut, Canadian, Everest, NewfoundlandSaturday, Cape Cod , Massachusetts, OceanGate, Rush, Titan

☆ Stockton Rush: What we know about the Titan submersible's pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Rush has approached his dream of deep-sea exploration with child-like verve and an antipathy toward regulations — a pattern that has come into sharp relief since Sunday night, when his vessel, the Titan, went missing. But in 2004, he told Smithsonian, the dream shifted after Richard Branson launched the first commercial aircraft into space. “I had this epiphany that this was not at all what I wanted to do,” Rush told the magazine. The commercial sub industry is “obscenely safe” he told Smithsonian, “because they have all these regulations. He also asked Rush about what the vessel’s “MacGyvery” components — like the plastic PlayStation controller and LED lights that Rush bought from an RV retailer.

Persons: Jacques Cousteau, Rush, MacArthur, you’re, ” Rush, Alan Estrada, ”, Richard Branson, Kirk, OceanGate, Greg Gilbert, Estrada, “, David Lochridge, OceanGate hasn’t, David Pogue, You’re, Pogue, plumb, Nick D’Annunzio, TARA, Celina Tebor, Sam Delouya Organizations: New, New York CNN, Stockton Rush, verve, Princeton, Smithsonian Magazine, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, UC Berkeley, Smithsonian, Enterprise, OceanGate, Everett, NASA, CBS, Boeing, University of Washington, USA, Michelin Locations: New York, Seattle, Washington

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