David Lochridge is one of the most anticipated witnesses to appear before a commission trying to determine what caused the Titan to implode en route to the wreckage of the Titanic last year, killing all five on board.Wreckage from the Titan is hoisted from the ship that brought it back to St. John's harbour on June 28, 2023.
"The whole idea behind the company was to make money," Lochridge said. "There was very little in the way of science." Lochridge, who joined the company in the mid-2010s as a veteran engineer and submersible pilot, said he quickly came to feel he was being used to lend the company scientific credibility. He said he felt the company was selling him as part of the project "for people to come up and pay money," and that did not sit well with him.
Coast guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. That and Titan's unusual design subjected it to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community. When the submersible was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 700 kilometres south of St. John's. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 300 metres off the bow of the Titanic, coast guard officials said.Tony Nissen was the first witness at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Marine Board Investigation, which aims to learn more about the Titan's implosion near the wreck of the Titanic.
Among those not on the hearing witness list is Rush's widow, Wendy Rush, the company's communications director.