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Chilling audio of doomed Titan sub boss ‘sacking engineer who questioned mission’s safety’ before imposion tragedy
CHILLING new audio reveals the moment OceanGate’s founder fired the company’s operations director who voiced safety concerns about the ill-fated Titan sub.
The audio clip was obtained by Netflix and has been used in its documentary Titan: The OceanGate Disaster.
American businessman Stockton Rush, who would go on to be one of the victims of the Titan disaster, can be heard David Lochridge in the clip.
Lochridge had raised concerns around the safety of the submersible ahead of its doomed voyage.
Rush tells him: “I don’t want anybody in this company who is uncomfortable with what we are doing.
“We’re doing weird s*** here. I’m definitely out of the mold, I am doing things that are completely non-standard.
“I’m sure the industry thinks I’m a f****** idiot.
“That’s fine, they’ve been doing that for years. And I’m going to continue on the way I am doing.”
A woman can be heard saying: “We need David on this crew, in my opinion we need him here.”
Lochridge says Rush’s remarks left him “a tad let down” and “pretty gutted”.
“This is the first time on paper I’ve ever put any health and safety concerns,” he adds.
“You know every expedition we have had, we’ve had issues.”
Rush concedes the point, and Lochridge asks him: “Do you now want to let me go?”
But Rush bluntly replies: “I don’t see we have a choice.”
Rush would later die on board the Titan alongside Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood and Paul-Henri Nargeolet.
The vessel imploded during a June 2023 expedition that initially prompted a major rescue operation.
But the discovery of a piece debris in the North Atlantic dashed any hopes of a successful rescue mission.
Speaking to filmmakers, Lochridge said: “To me it was just sheer arrogance.
“I didn’t know what to say, but I was blown away that at this point they were willing to play Russian roulette.”
Lochridge was fired back in 2018 after he had worked at the firm for three years.
He would go on to inform the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of Titan’s safety issues after he was fired.
He reportedly got a settlement and release agreement from OceanGate’s lawyers after flagging these concerns with OSHA.
It wasn’t first time concerns had been raised about Rush’s approach to safety.
Karl Stanley, a veteran submersible expert and longtime friend of Rush, told author Matthew Gavin Frank: “Rush’s ego was so big, he was willing to die and kill to be pivotal to the character of this story.
“He wanted to go [die] at the wreck [of the Titanic].
“The more high-profile, the better. He didn’t just murder four wealthy people and get paid a cool mill to do it — they are all part of the Titanic mythology now.”
How the Titan tragedy unfolded
By Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital)
FIVE men plunged beneath the surface of the North Atlantic in a homemade sub in a bid to explore the Titanic wreckage.
Four passengers paid £195,000 each to go on the sub, with the fifth member of the trip being a crew member.
But what was supposed to be a short trip spiralled into days of agony as the doomed Titan vanished without a trace on June 18, 2023.
The daring mission had been months in the making – and almost didn’t happen at the hands of harsh weather conditions in Newfoundland, Canada.
In a now chilling Facebook post, passenger Hamish Harding wrote: “Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023.
“A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow.”
It would be his final Facebook post.
The following morning, he and four others – led by Stockton Rush – began the 12,5000ft descent towards the bottom of the Atlantic.
But as it made its way down into the depths, the vessel lost all contact with its mother ship on the surface, the Polar Prince.
It sparked a frantic four-day search for signs of life, with the hunt gripping the entire world.
There was hope that by some miracle, the crew was alive and desperately waiting to be saved.
But that sparked fears rescue teams faced a race against time as the passengers only had a 96-hour oxygen supply when they set out, which would be quickly dwindling.
Then, when audio of banging sounds was detected under the water, it inspired hope that the victims were trapped and signalling to be rescued.
It heartbreakingly turned out that the banging noises were likely either ocean noises or from other search ships, the US Navy determined.
Countries around the world deployed their resources to aid the search, and within days the Odysseus remote-operated vehicle (ROV) was sent down to where the ghostly wreck of the Titanic sits.
The plan was for the ROV to hook onto the sub and bring it up 10,000ft, where it would meet another ROV before heading to the surface.
But any hopes of a phenomenal rescue were dashed when Odysseus came across a piece of debris from the sub around 1,600ft from the Titanic.
The rescue mission tragically turned into a salvage task, and the heartbroken families of those on board were told the devastating news.
It was confirmed by the US Coast Guard that the sub had suffered a “catastrophic implosion”.
Beloved cafe serving loyal customers classic English breakfasts for nine years is forced to close due to cost of living
A BELOVED cafe that served customers classic English breakfasts for nine years has been forced to close due to the cost of living.
The owner said it is “impossible to carry on” in the current climate.
Traditional cafe Deb’s Diner in Birmingham posted the sad update on Facebook.
“It is with great sadness that Deb’s Diner has closed it doors for the very last time.
“Due to ill health and the current cost of living crisis, it has become impossible to carry on so we have decided not to renew our lease.
“We would like to thank all of our customers for their continued support over the last nine years, it’s been a wonderful journey.”
Customers commented to express their sadness and to send best wishes.
It comes after the Chancellor’s hike to national insurance contributions and minimum wage for firms kicked in at the start of April.
The NI rise has hit investment, recruitment and prices.
Businesses were dealt the £25 billion ‘Jobs tax’ raid at the Budget with the increased contributions as confidence among entrepreneurs taking a hit.
From April 6, businesses have to pay a higher rate of employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) of 15% from 13.8%.
The threshold at which they are paid is also being lowered from £9,100 to £5,000.
The Government confirmed it was making the changes in its Autumn Budget last October in a bid to increase revenue.
It also said the move meant it wasn’t increasing taxes for working people.
However, it will have an impact on shoppers and everyday consumers as businesses look to pass on the additional costs.
Figures show that almost a third of businesses affected by the hike are planning to cut jobs or freeze hiring.
It comes on the back of 160,000 part-time retail jobs are on the cusp of going in the next two years due to a rise in Labour costs.
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