{"id":1953734,"date":"2023-06-21T23:55:01","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T03:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/red-flags-surrounded-the-missing-titanic-sub-years-before-disappearance\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T23:56:16","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T03:56:16","slug":"red-flags-surrounded-the-missing-titanic-sub-years-before-disappearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/red-flags-surrounded-the-missing-titanic-sub-years-before-disappearance\/","title":{"rendered":"Titanic Sub&#8217;s Disappearance Preceded by Red Flags"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fred-flags-surrounded-the-missing-titanic-sub-years-before-disappearance%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1953734&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As an international <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/desperate-last-ditch-attempt-to-rescue-titanic-sub-begins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">search continues<\/a> for the missing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/sealed-in-with-a-game-controller-inside-the-missing-titanic-sub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Titanic submersible<\/a> carrying five people, questions swirl around the craft\u2019s construction and the safety procedures its company put in place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The submersible, named the Titan, went missing on June 18 after plunging into the depths of the Atlantic on a voyage to see the wreckage of the Titanic. The Titan belongs to OceanGate, a U.S. company that provides crewed submersibles for research, exploration, and tourism. Wealthy adventurers can pay $250,000 per ticket for the opportunity to dive more than two miles under the ocean\u2019s surface.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The voyage aboard the Titan was never without risk, however. Those wishing to squeeze into the submersible roughly the size of a minivan had to sign waivers accepting the possibility of injury or death, and before Titan\u2019s latest trek, OceanGate faced multiple warnings from people inside and outside the company, as well as a lawsuit from an employee flagging what he saw as massive safety issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Questionable Construction<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">OceanGate boasts that the Titan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/sealed-in-with-a-game-controller-inside-the-missing-titanic-sub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">features<\/a> \u201coff-the-shelf technology,\u201d which \u201chelped to streamline the construction, and makes it simple to operate and replace parts in the field.\u201d In a CBS News report last year, OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, who is on the missing submersible, showed off an off<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sealed-in-with-a-game-controller-inside-the-missing-titanic-sub\/\" title=\"Sealed In With A Game Controller: Inside The Missing Titanic Sub\">-brand video game controller<\/a> that he said \u201cruns the whole thing and a largely empty interior except for an assortment of screens and some sort of toilet set-up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This short clip will help you understand why the Titanic mini sub is missing and why this was an accident waiting to happen. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/srrXmFnoTq\">pic.twitter.com\/srrXmFnoTq<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Frida Ghitis (@FridaGhitis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FridaGhitis\/status\/1671120043126423553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 20, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CBS correspondent David Pogue <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/titanic-visiting-the-most-famous-shipwreck-in-the-world\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reported<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that the Titan\u2019s hatch is sealed by an external crew with 17 bolts, and that is the only way out. The report also noted that the submersible lacks underwater GPS but instead is guided by text messages from the surface ship. Pogue, who joined Rush on a two-day journey in the Titan, said he had to sign paperwork that stated, \u201cThis experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma, or death.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Remember my voyage to the Titanic last last summer? In OceanGate\u2019s homemade carbon-fiber sub? (<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/BqPhXNQbl6\">https:\/\/t.co\/BqPhXNQbl6<\/a>) They took passengers out again this summer\u2014but as of today, the sub is lost. Coast Guard is doing a search and rescue. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1u3x3Ucjf5\">https:\/\/t.co\/1u3x3Ucjf5<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/j6z1efTCBH\">pic.twitter.com\/j6z1efTCBH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 David Pogue (@Pogue) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Pogue\/status\/1670821849863802880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 19, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A millionaire adventurer who was supposed to go on the Titan voyage said he backed out over fears that the company was \u201ccutting too many corners.\u201d Digital marketing tycoon Chris Brown <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.the-sun.com\/news\/8416758\/missing-titanic-submarine-pulled-out-safety\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">told<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The Sun that he paid a deposit of $10,000 to join his friend Hamish Harding after the two decided to go on the voyage after having a \u201cfew beers.\u201d Harding is currently on the missing submersible, but Brown changed his mind after learning how the Titan was built.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI found out they used old scaffolding poles for the sub\u2019s ballast \u2014 and its controls were based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/millionaire-adventurer-who-was-supposed-to-be-on-missing-titanic-sub-backed-out-after-seeing-troubling-risks\/\" title=\"Wealthy explorer cancels Titanic sub trip due to alarming risks.\">computer game-style controllers<\/a>,\u201d Brown said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cEventually I emailed them and said, \u2018I\u2019m no longer able to go on this thing,\u2019\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>2018 Lawsuit<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">OceanGate\u2019s Director of Marine Operations David Lochridge, who was also a submersible pilot, raised concerns about the underwater vehicle\u2019s safety and refused to approve manned tests of the early models, according to court documents <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/173802\/missing-titanic-sub-faced-lawsuit-depths-safely-travel-oceangate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">obtained<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> by The New Republic. Lochridge was fired and sued by OceanGate in 2018 for disclosing confidential information about Titan. The former OceanGate employee filed a compulsory counterclaim, saying he was wrongfully terminated for being a whistleblower.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201c[R]ather than addressing Lochridge\u2019s concerns, OceanGate instead summarily terminated Lochridge\u2019s employment in efforts to silence Lochridge and to avoid addressing the safety and quality control issues,\u201d Lochridge\u2019s counterclaim states.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The counterclaim added that Lochridge was worried about the potential danger to passengers on the submersible as it reached depths of 4,000 meters, pointing to \u201cprevalent flaws in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/red-flags-surrounded-the-missing-titanic-sub-years-before-disappearance\/\" title=\"Titanic Sub's Disappearance Preceded by Red Flags\">previously tested 1\/3 scale model<\/a>, and the visible flaws in the carbon end samples for the Titan.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lochridge wasn\u2019t the only OceanGate employee expressing concerns about the craft, according to the lawsuit. During a meeting at the company\u2019s headquarters in Everett, Washington, \u201cseveral individuals had expressed concerns over to the Engineering Director.\u201d Following the meeting, Rush asked Lochridge to conduct a safety inspection on the Titan, The New Republic reported.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While working on the report, the counterclaim alleges that Lochridge was denied \u201caccess to the necessary documentation that should have been freely available as part of his inspection process.\u201d The counterclaim further stated that Lochridge was denied access to the viewport at the front of the submersible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">According to the lawsuit, the viewport \u201cwas only built to a certified pressure of 1,300 meters, although OceanGate intended to take passengers down to depths of 4,000 meters. Lochridge learned that the viewport manufacturer would only certify to a depth of 1,300 meters due to the experimental design of the viewport supplied by OceanGate, which was out of the Pressure Vessels for Human Occupancy (\u201cPVHO\u201d) standards. OceanGate refused to pay for the manufacturer to build a viewport that would meet the required depth of 4,000 meters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lochridge and OceanGate settled the case a few months after the suit was filed. The warnings didn\u2019t stop with Lochridge. The New York Times <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/06\/20\/us\/oceangate-titanic-missing-submersible.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">reported<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that more than three dozen people, including industry leaders, deep-sea explorers, and oceanographers, warned Rush in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/int.nyt.com\/data\/documenttools\/marine-technology-society-committee-2018-letter-to-ocean-gate\/eddb63615a7b3764\/full.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">letter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that the \u201c\u2018experimental\u2019 approach adopted by Oceangate could result in negative outcomes (from minor to catastrophic) that would have serious consequences for everyone in the industry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>CEO\u2019s Comments On Hiring<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Rush, the 61-year-old OceanGate CEO, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/boss-of-titanic-sub-company-didnt-want-50-year-old-white-guys-on-his-team\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">once declared<\/a> he didn\u2019t want to hire \u201c50-year-old white guys\u201d on his team even if they were seasoned submariners. <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a resurfaced Zoom interview, Rush explained why he preferred hiring younger people over \u201c50-year-old white guys\u201d with military experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I started the business, one of the things you\u2019ll find, there are other sub operators out there, but they typically have gentlemen who are ex-military sub-mariners, and they \u2014 you\u2019ll see a whole bunch of 50-year-old white guys,\u201d Rush told Teledyne Marine representatives before the expedition began. Teledyne Marine made the sonar systems and the navigation systems for the vessel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wanted our team to be younger, to be inspirational,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not going to inspire a 16-year-old to go pursue marine technology, but a 25-year-old who\u2019s a sub pilot or a platform operator, one of our techs, can be inspirational. So we\u2019ve really tried to get very intelligent, motivated, younger individuals involved because we\u2019re doing things that are completely new.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re taking approaches that are used largely in the aerospace industry as related to safety and some of the preponderance of checklists, things we do for risk assessments, things like that that are more aviation-related than ocean-related,\u201d he declared. \u201cWe can train people to do that; we can train someone to pilot the sub. We use like game controller so anybody can drive the sub.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daniel Chaitin and Hank Berrien contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the search for the missing Titanic submersible intensifies, concerns arise regarding its construction and safety measures. The Titan, carrying five individuals, disappeared on June 18 during its expedition to explore the Atlantic&#8217;s depths and witness the wreckage. International efforts persist to locate the vessel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":1953735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1953734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1953734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1953734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1953734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1953735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1953734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1953734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1953734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}