Titan hearings resume after previous witnesses testify about safety concerns

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Financial woes, safety concerns, a lightning strike and final messages sent by the Titan submersible were highlighted as a Coast Guard hearing was underway in North Charleston.

Here’s what happened Monday before Day 2 of the hearing begins.

The day began with a basic breakdown of facts gathered regarding the Titan, a manned submersible set out to explore the Titanic wreckage when it imploded. Following the breakdown came an animation revealing Titan’s last messages to its support vessel, POLAR PRINCE, before all contact was lost.

The former OceanGate Engineering Director Tony Nissen was the first witnesses called to the stand. Throughout his testimony, he maintained developing the Titan and its prototypes had problems that heightened throughout his employment including being struck by lightning while in the Bahamas.

Nissen said he later discovered a crack in a prototype hull which he attributed to the lightning strike. When he notified Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s founder and CEO, that the vessel was likely compromised, Stockton said, “It would be okay,” Nissen alleged.

These events led Nissen to not sign off on a July 2019 expedition, Stockton wanted the Titan to perform as the crack had not been addressed. Nissen was fired in July 2019 for not signing off, he testified. This was not out of character, according to Nissen. He explained Stockton always got what he wanted or it was “death by a thousand cuts.”

Next up to the witness stand, virtually, was Bonnie Carl, OceanGate’s former human resources and finance director. Carl said that while she was there from March 2017 to her exit in February 2018 money was always tight.

The company rarely had money coming in and shareholders were mainly Stockton’s friends and family. Sometimes when money was low, Stockton would provide a temporary loan to the company for payroll payments, Carl testified.

Despite this, she said the reason for her exit was OceanGate’s attitude towards safety concerns raised. In one instance, Carl recounted seeing what she estimated to be 18-year-old’s “wrenching away on equipment.”

As the day came to a close, Coast Guard panelists called Tym Catterson, a longtime former contractor for the company, to speak. Catterson also reinforced the theme of safety concerns among OceanGate employees.

He told panelists that he himself would not have felt comfortable going down to the Titanic in the submersible although he was present on POLAR PRINCE the day of the implosion.

Catterson explained he brought his concerns to Stockton and other top employees over six times however he was told several engineers were working on the vessel and Stockton was confident in it.

For day two of the Titan Marine Board of Investigation hearings, former Operations Director David Lochridge will be questioned the entire time.

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9:06 a.m.

The Titan project “was nothing” in 2016 when Lochridge came aboard, he said. They were still testing things on Cyclops 1 and “it was still in its infancy,” Lochridge explained.

9:05 a.m.

Cyclops 1 was initially a classed submersible, but when it came to be owned by OceanGate several modifications were made that took it out of classification. OceanGate did not have the submersible reclassed afterward, according to Lochridge.

9:01 a.m.

Lochridge testifies he never did any work on the Titan and was kept away from the Titan project. He told panelists he raised concerns several times throughout the time he worked there as he “doesn’t like being bullied into things.”

8:58 a.m.

Lochridge said there was no pilot training set for employees when he arrived at OceanGate in 2016.

8:57 a.m.

Lochridge said he was responsible for communications with ABS when the company would get Antipodes, a submersible, classed.

8:55 a.m.

The former operations chief said he was the only pilot qualified for piloting OceanGate’s submersibles in his eyes. He said the three employees he was in charge of did not get qualified to pilot the submersibles in OceanGate’s arsenal.

8:51 a.m.

Cyclops 1 was not classed when Lochridge went for his first meeting upon being hired at OceanGate. He was initially hired for director of marine operations and was taken on as a contractor. Lochridge said he began working for OceanGate in 2016 after getting a work visa to move from Scotland.

8:49 a.m.

Lochridge says the Cyclops 1 was not classified by the American Bureau Shipping classification agency, however he said he believes it is very important that submersibles are classified.

Cyclops 1 was the prototype for Cyclops 2 which became the Titan that imploded.

8:45 a.m.

Lochridge approximates he has piloted about seven to ten submersibles. He had to go through a pilot training for each which he said was about three years.

8:41 a.m.

Former OceanGate operations director explains his professional background.

8:36 a.m.

Former OceanGate Operations Director David Lochridge called to testify.

8:34 a.m.

Neubauer clarifies that the former OceanGate engineering director who testified on Day 1 about the cracked hull was a prototype that was not used in any Titanic expeditions.

8:30 a.m.

Opening statement and review of hearing rules by U.S. Coast Guard Chief of Office of Investigations Jason Neubauer.

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