Former Titan Engineer Testifies He Was Fired for Pointing Out That Submersible Was Not Fit For Voyage

Fatal Warning by Engineer

The implosion of Titan sub in June 2023 grabbed headlines almost instantaneously. Social media and news platforms were filled with questions regarding the disaster. The U.S. Coast Guard has set up an inquiry to find out the reasons behind the implosion, Business Insider reported. Revelations by a former employee during the proceedings have put into question protocols followed by OceanGate, the company behind Titan, before its voyage. OceanGate’s former engineering director, Tony Nissen, claimed in his testimony that he was fired from the company because he pointed out that the submersible was not ready for its voyage to Titanic.

Titan Disaster

In June 2023, the deep sea vessel, Titan began its voyage to Titanic, BBC reported. As per investigators, the experimental deep-sea craft imploded two hours into the descent. Officials believe that the disaster occurred because of intense ocean pressure, The Guardian reported. Five people were inside the vessel during the blast, all of whom lost their lives. They were: British explorer Hamish Harding; the British Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman; Stockton Rush, the chief executive officer of OceanGate, and the French diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

Tony Nissen Testifies

Tony Nissen was called in the proceedings conducted by the Coast Guard to give his perspective about the handling of Titan, Business Insider reported. The man was previously employed with OceanGate as their engineering director. Nissen testified that during his time at the company, he felt pressured to prepare the ill-fated vessel for operations as quickly as possible. Nissen claimed that despite being constantly pushed by his superiors he refused to take a test dive in the submersible, because of his distrust of the operations crew of the vessel. The man's relationship with OceanGate broke down after he was fired by the company in 2019. He believes that the firing came as a result of him refusing to let the submersible go to Titanic, that year. The reasoning he had given to his superiors then, for his refusal was, "It was not working like we thought it would."

Flaws with Titan

A historical look at Titan during the proceedings revealed that the deep-sea vessel was never subjected to third-party testing and had also been exposed to weather and other elements while in storage, BBC reported. It was also informed to the Coast Guard that during 13 dives to the Titanic in 2021 and 2022, the ill-fated submersible was found to have 118 equipment issues. Nissen claimed that working with Stockton Rush was difficult, and usually, the CEO had the last word on engineering decisions. "Stockton would fight for what he wanted and, even if it changed from day to day, he wouldn't give an inch," Nissen claimed, BBC reported. "Most people would eventually back down to Stockton, it was death by a thousand cuts." Following the implosion in 2023, OceanGate took the call to suspend all exploration and commercial operations.

Operations Director Had Raised Concerns

OceanGate's former operations director, David Lochridge, also testified in the proceedings that he had warned the company about the flaws in the submersible, before being fired in 2018, BBC reported. Lochridge had been tasked by Rush to assemble a quality inspection report in 2018 of the submersible, and as per court documents, had raised concerns about the dee-sea craft's design after the analysis. He had pointed out that the submersible was made out of carbon fiber, which would deteriorate with every voyage. Soon after raising his doubts, the man was allegedly fired and sued by OceanGate for revealing confidential information. Lochridge countersued the company for wrongful dismissal.