The man who co-founded OceanGate with Stockton Rush has revealed that the answers to what really went wrong on the Titanic excursion may never be known.
Guillermo Sohnlein told a Coast Guard panel on Monday that he cannot say exactly what led to the… he submersible implosion in June 2023 that killed five people.
“I don’t know what happened. I don’t know who made what decision, when and based on what information,” he said.
“And honestly, I don’t know if any of us will ever know this, despite all the investigative efforts of your team.”
Sohnlein could only say that the incident, which claimed the lives of adventurer Hamish Harding, father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood and Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet, “was not supposed to happen”.
The man who co-founded OceanGate with Stockton Rush reveals we may never know what really went wrong on the Titanic excursion that killed five people
Guillermo Sohnlein told a Coast Guard panel on Monday that he cannot say exactly what caused the submersible to implode in June 2023.
On Monday, he testified that the company wanted to create a fleet of four or five deep-diving submersibles capable of carrying five people to depths of 6,000 meters.
The company’s plan was not to have a dedicated mothership, which would have reduced costs substantially, he said.
“We wanted to give humanity greater access to the ocean, specifically the deep ocean,” Sohnlein said.
He presents himself as a radical optimist, hoping that people will be inspired by his and Rush’s original intention to explore the “magical” deep ocean.
However, he said:It appears OceanGate will not be part of that effort.”
Sohnlein contradicted former director of marine operations David Lochridge, who He said he frequently clashed with Rush and felt the company was committed only to making money.
“The idea behind the company was to make money,” Lochridge testified. “There was very little in the way of science.”
Sohnlein said Monday that neither he nor Rush were ever “motivated by tourism” and that the idea of visiting the Titanic, which had already been explored by others, was not exciting to either of them.
Rush (pictured) was among five people killed when the submersible imploded in June 2023.
Sohnlein said Monday that neither he nor Rush had been drawn to tourism and that the idea of visiting the Titanic, which had already been explored by others, was not exciting to either of them.
But Lochridge and other witnesses painted a picture of a troubled company that was eager to get its unconventionally designed vessel out on the water. The accident sparked a global debate about the future of private underwater exploration.
Lochridge was revealed early Monday to have said Rush told staff he would not die on his Titan submersible five years before his ill-fated voyage to the Titanic, newly released transcripts reveal.
The U.S. Coast Guard released a redacted transcript between Rush and Lochridge from Jan. 19, 2018, as part of a high-level investigation into the cause of the implosion.
The two men were discussing a quality inspection report on the submarine’s design when the exchange became heated and Rush defended the vessel’s safety, the report said. BBC.
“I have no desire to die and I’m not going to die. I’m not going to die. No one is going to die on my watch, period,” Rush said.
Rush interviewed Lochridge about his problems with the quality of the submarine’s hull, which was made of carbon fiber, and how the boat was being built and tested.
“I’m addressing what I consider to be safety concerns, concerns that I have raised verbally… and that have been dismissed by everyone,” Lochridge said.
The CEO insisted he had listened to directors’ concerns and offered solutions.
A transcript between Rush and his former director of marine operations David Lochridge (pictured) shows him redoubling his efforts to ensure the safety of the ship.
Rush interviewed Lochridge about his problems with the quality of the submarine’s hull, which was made of carbon fiber, and how the boat was being built and tested.
“No, I have listened to you and I have given you my answer and you think my answer is inadequate,” he said.
‘All I’ve done on this project is people telling me it’s not going to work, that you can’t do that.’
Rush insisted that the Titan is safe and that he truly believes in the submersible’s stability.
“I have a very dear granddaughter. I will be there. I understand this kind of risk and I face it with my eyes wide open, because I think it is one of the safest things I will do in my life,” he said.
Lochridge was fired from OceanGate after that meeting for being what he described as “anti-project.”
He said he then reported the Titan’s safety concerns to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
After contacting them, Lochridge said they put him under the whistleblower protection scheme after they deemed his concerns serious.
“I didn’t want anybody on that submersible, it was dangerous,” Lochridge told the Coast Guard committee on Sept. 17.
Lochridge said that after raising their concerns with OSHA, he and his wife received a settlement and release agreement from OceanGate attorneys.
Father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood (pictured) died on the Titanic’s journey to the wreck
Adventurer Hamish Harding and Frenchman Paul-Henri Nargeolet were on board the fateful voyage.
“OceanGate wanted me to back out of the OSHA lawsuit. They basically demanded that I pay them money to settle with them because they had to hire an attorney to represent them in the OSHA matter,” he said.
“They say if I don’t, they will contact former employers, ex-spouses, U.S. immigration, fraud, theft, it’s all included.”
He then decided to counter-sue OceanGate in federal court to allow information related to his claims into the public domain as a matter of “public safety.”
After months of back-and-forth, OSHA told her her case was on a list of 11 pending cases and it was unclear when they would investigate her claims.
Lochridge said this was difficult for him and his family and in November 2018 he decided to withdraw his claim and lawsuit against his former employer.
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