Court documents have disclosed that Stockton Rush, the CEO and co-founder of OceanGate who perished in the tragic Titan submersible accident in June of last year, had insisted on personally participating in test dives. He claimed it was “one of the safest things I will ever do” and wanted to be onboard in case “anything happens.”
Released by the US Coast Guard as part of their ongoing investigation into the 2023 disaster, the documents reveal Rush’s communications with employees prior to the fatal dive, many of whom had raised concerns about the submersible’s safety.
The Titan, which was en route to the Titanic wreck in the North Atlantic, imploded during its journey, killing all five passengers, including Rush.
“I don’t want to risk anybody else”
Years before the ill-fated voyage, Rush insisted on piloting the submersible himself to mitigate any risk to others, according to OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein. Rush reportedly said, “If anything happens, I want it to only impact me. It’s my design. I trust it, but I don’t want to put anyone else at risk, so I’ll go alone.”
Sohnlein, who left the company in 2013, added that Rush had insisted on making the 4,000-meter dive solo.
“No one is dying under my watch”
While Sohnlein portrayed Rush as a courageous and positive leader, former operations director David Lochridge described him in starkly different terms. Lochridge claimed that Rush was focused on profits and lacked the necessary experience, even panicking during a previous dive. Lochridge said he had raised safety concerns about the submersible’s design, but Rush dismissed them and insisted on piloting the vessel.
Lochridge quoted Rush as saying, “I’m not dying. No one is dying under my watch. I’ve got a granddaughter, and I’m going to be around. I know the risks, and this is one of the safest things I’ll ever do.”
After raising his concerns, Lochridge said he was fired and later brought his case to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but OceanGate’s legal team pressured him into dropping it. He believes that if the company had been thoroughly investigated, the Titan disaster could have been avoided.
The ongoing inquiry, which is expected to conclude this week, involves the US Coast Guard reviewing testimony from technical experts and crew members to determine the causes of the submersible’s failure.
