Current:Home > MarketsWere warning signs ignored? Things to know about this week’s testimony on the Titan sub disaster-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Were warning signs ignored? Things to know about this week’s testimony on the Titan sub disaster
View Date:2024-12-23 19:16:19
Last year, five people hoping to view the Titanic wreckage died when their submersible imploded in the Atlantic Ocean. This week, a Coast Guard panel that’s investigating the Titan disaster listened to four days of testimony that has raised serious questions about whether warning signs were ignored. The panel plans to listen to another five days of testimony next week.
Here’s what witnesses have been saying so far:
The lead engineer says he wouldn’t get in the Titan
When testifying about a dive that took place several years before the fatal accident, lead engineer Tony Nissen said he felt pressured to get the Titan ready and he refused to pilot it.
“I’m not getting in it,” Nissen said he told Stockton Rush, the co-founder of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan. Nissen said Rush was difficult to work for, made demands that often changed day-to-day, and was focused on costs and schedules. Nissen said he tried to keep his clashes with Rush hidden so others in the company wouldn’t be aware of the friction.
The Titan malfunctioned a few days before its fatal dive
Scientific director Steven Ross said that on a dive just a few days before the Titan imploded, the vessel had a problem with its ballast, which keeps vessels stable. The issue caused passengers to “tumble about” and crash into the bulkhead, he said.
“One passenger was hanging upside down. The other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow,” Ross testified.
He said nobody was injured but it took an hour to get the vessel out of the water. He said he didn’t know if a safety assessment or hull inspection was carried out after the incident.
It wasn’t the first time the Titan had problems
A paid passenger on a 2021 mission to the Titanic said the journey was aborted when the vessel started experiencing mechanical problems.
“We realized that all it could do was spin around in circles, making right turns,” said Fred Hagen. “At this juncture, we obviously weren’t going to be able to navigate to the Titanic.”
He said the Titan resurfaced and the mission was scrapped. Hagen said he was aware of the risks involved in the dive.
“Anyone that wanted to go was either delusional if they didn’t think that it was dangerous, or they were embracing the risk,” he said.
One employee said authorities ignored his complaints
Operations director David Lochridge said the tragedy could possibly have been prevented if a federal agency had investigated the concerns he raised with them on multiple occasions.
Lochridge said that eight months after he filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a caseworker told him the agency had not begun investigating and there were still 11 cases ahead of his. By that time, OceanGate was suing Lochridge and he had filed a countersuit. A couple of months later, Lochridge said, he decided to walk away from the company. He said the case was closed and both lawsuits were dropped.
“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” Lochridge testified. “There was very little in the way of science.”
Some people had a rosier view
Renata Rojas, a member of the Explorers Club which lost two paid passengers in the fatal dive, struck a different tone with her testimony. She said she felt OceanGate was transparent in the run-up to the dive and she never felt the operation was unsafe.
“Some of those people are very hardworking individuals that were just trying to make dreams come true,” she said.
veryGood! (16)
Related
- Record-setting dry conditions threaten more US wildfires, drinking water supplies
- Angelina Jolie's Brother James Haven Shares Rare Insight into Life With Her and Brad Pitt's Kids
- Actor David Soul, half of 'Starsky & Hutch' duo, dies at 80
- Jeff Landry’s inauguration moved to Sunday at 4:30 p.m. because of expected severe weather
- 'Devastation is absolutely heartbreaking' from Southern California wildfire
- Georgia governor names Waffle House executive to lead State Election Board
- New Jersey records fewest shootings in 2023 since tracking began nearly 15 years ago
- With banku and jollof rice, Ghanian chef tries to break world cook-a-thon record
- 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant makes viral mistake: 'Treat yourself a round of sausage'
- House Republicans ready contempt of Congress charges against Hunter Biden for defying a subpoena
Ranking
- Amazon launches an online discount storefront to better compete with Shein and Temu
- As South Carolina population booms, governor wants to fix aging bridges with extra budget money
- Mississippi sheriff's deputy fatally shot during traffic stop; suspect killed by police after chase across 3 counties
- Actor Christian Oliver Shared Photo From Paradise 3 Days Before Fatal Plane Crash
- What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
- Cher is denied an immediate conservatorship over son’s money, but the issue isn’t done
- New gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people, attorney general says
- Louisiana father discovers clues in his daughter's suspicious death on a digital camera
Recommendation
-
Mandy Moore Captures the Holiday Vibe With These No Brainer Gifts & Stocking Stuffer Must-Haves
-
NYC subway crews wrestle derailed train back on tracks, as crash disrupts service for second day
-
NYC train collision causes subway derailment; 24 injured
-
Rachel Maddow and Bob Woodruff lend us some journalistic integrity
-
Joan says 'Yes!' to 'Golden Bachelorette' finale fantasy beach proposal. Who did she pick?
-
AP PHOTOS: In idyllic Kashmir’s ‘Great Winter,’ cold adds charm but life is challenging for locals
-
New gun law has blocked over 500 firearms from being bought by young people, attorney general says
-
3 years after Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Trump trial takes center stage, and investigators still search for offenders