- Court documents reveal that Rush believed his design was "one of the safest things I will ever do."
- Rush's co-founder, Guillermo Sohnlein, stated that Rush insisted on piloting the submersible in case of any issues.
- Former operations director, David Lochridge, portrayed Rush as a brave leader,
The CEO and co-founder of OceanGate, who perished on the doomed Titan submersible in June last year, insisted on participating in the test dives himself in case "anything happens." Court documents reveal that he claimed it was "one of the safest things I will ever do."
The US Coast Guard released documents during an ongoing inquiry into the 2023 disaster, revealing CEO Stockton Rush's conversations with his employees before the fatal dive. Many employees had flagged problems with the submersible.
The submersible, which was heading to the Titanic shipwreck in the North Atlantic, imploded during its journey, killing all five passengers, including Rush.
The co-founder of OceanGate revealed that years before the doomed voyage, Rush insisted on piloting the submersible in case something went wrong.
Guillermo Sohnlein said Rush told him he didn't "want anybody else on that sub."
"If anything happens, I want it to only impact me. It's my design. I believe in it. I trust it, but I don't want to risk anybody else and I'm gonna go by myself," he said.
Sohnlein, who left the company in 2013, stated that Rush insisted on completing the 4,000-meter first dive by himself.
While the OceanGate co-founder portrayed Rush as a brave, positive leader, the company's former operations director, David Lochridge, painted a completely different picture of the CEO.
Insisting that Rush was only interested in making money, Lochridge stated that the CEO panicked during a previous dive due to his lack of experience. Even after Lochridge flagged issues with the submersible's body, he said Rush ignored his warnings and insisted on piloting it.
Lochridge stated that Rush was confident his design was not flawed.
"I'm not dying. No one is dying under my watch - period. I've got a nice granddaughter. I am going to be around. I understand this kind of risk, and I'm going into it with eyes open and I think this is one of the safest things I will ever do," he quoted Rush as telling him.
Lochridge said that Rush fired him after their meeting and that he raised his concerns with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. However, OceanGate's lawyers pressured him to drop his case.
Lochridge insisted that a proper investigation of the company could have averted the Titan tragedy.
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