A key employee says the Titan sub tragedy could have been prevented

A key employee who labeled a doomed experimental submersible unsafe prior to its last, fatal voyage testified Tuesday that the tragedy could have been prevented if a federal safety agency had investigated his complaint.

David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former operations director, said he felt let down by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's decision not to follow through on the complaint.

“I believe that if OSHA had attempted to investigate the seriousness of the concerns I raised on multiple occasions, this tragedy may have been prevented," he said while speaking 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. "As a seafarer, I feel deeply disappointed by the system that is meant to protect not only seafarers but the general public as well.”

Lochridge said during testimony that eight months after he filed an OSHA complaint, a caseworker told him the agency had not begun investigating it yet and there were 11 cases ahead of his. By then, OceanGate was suing Lochridge and he had filed a countersuit.

About 10 months after he filed the complaint, he decided to walk away. The case was closed and both lawsuits were dropped.

“I gave them nothing, they gave me nothing,” he said of OceanGate.

OSHA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Lochridge said he frequently clashed with the company’s co-founder and felt the company was committed only to making money.

Lochridge was one of the most anticipated witnesses to appear before a commission. His testimony echoed that of other former employees Monday, one of whom described OceanGate head Stockton Rush as volatile and difficult to work with.

“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” Lochridge said. “There was very little in the way of science.”

Rush was among the five people who died in the implosion. OceanGate owned the Titan and brought it on several dives to the Titanic going back to 2021.

Lochridge's testimony began a day after other witnesses painted a picture of a troubled company that was impatient to get its unconventionally designed craft into the water. The accident set off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.

Lochridge joined the company in the mid-2010s as a veteran engineer and submersible pilot and 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.

“I was, I felt, a show pony,” he said. “I was made by the company to stand up there and do talks. It was difficult. I had to go up and do presentations. All of it.”

Lochridge referenced a 2018 report in which he raised safety issues about OceanGate operations. He said with all of the safety issues he saw “there was no way I was signing off on this.”

Asked whether he had confidence in the way the Titan was being built, he said: “No confidence whatsoever.”

Employee turnover was very high at the time, said Lochridge, and leadership dismissed his concerns because they were more focused on “bad engineering decisions” and a desire to get to the Titanic as quickly as possible and start making money. He eventually was fired after raising the safety concerns, he said.

“I didn’t want to lose my job. I wanted to do the Titanic. But to dive it safely. It was on my bucket list, too,” he said.

OceanGate, based in Washington state, suspended its operations after the implosion.

OceanGate's former engineering director, Tony Nissen, kicked off Monday's testimony, telling investigators he felt pressured to get the vessel ready to dive and refused to pilot it for a journey several years before Titan's last trip. Nissen worked on a prototype hull that predated the Titanic expeditions.

“‘I’m not getting in it,’” Nissen said he told Rush.

OceanGate's former finance and human resources director, Bonnie Carl, testified Monday that Lochridge had characterized the Titan as “unsafe.”

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.

During the submersible's final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about the Titan's depth and weight as it descended. The support ship Polar Prince then sent repeated messages asking if the Titan could still see the ship on its onboard display.

One of the last messages from Titan’s crew to Polar Prince before the submersible imploded stated, “all good here,” according to a visual re-creation presented earlier in the hearing.

When the submersible was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said.

Scheduled to appear later in the hearing are OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein and former scientific director, Steven Ross, according to a list compiled by the Coast Guard. Numerous guard officials, scientists, and government and industry officials are also expected to testify. The U.S. Coast Guard subpoenaed witnesses who were not government employees, said Coast Guard spokesperson Melissa Leake.

Among those not on the hearing witness list is Rush’s widow, Wendy Rush, the company’s communications director. Lochridge said Wendy Rush had an active role in the company when he was there.

Asked about Wendy Rush's absence, Leake said the Coast Guard does not comment on the reasons for not calling specific individuals to a particular hearing during ongoing investigations. She said it’s common for a Marine Board of Investigation to “hold multiple hearing sessions or conduct additional witness depositions for complex cases.”

OceanGate has no full-time employees at this time but will be represented by an attorney during the hearing, the company said in a statement. The company said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began.

The ongoing Marine Board of Investigation is the highest level of marine casualty investigation conducted by the Coast Guard. When the hearing concludes, recommendations will be submitted to the Coast Guard’s commandant. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting an investigation.

An exhibit is presented during the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Guard investigative board member Thomas Whalen, Coast, left, and Katie Williams, of the Coast Guard, right, huddle Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, during a recess for the Titan marine board formal hearing, in North Charleston, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Exhibits are presented during the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool Photo via AP)

Exhibits are presented during the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post and Courier/Pool Photo via AP)

Former OceanGate's Director of Marine Operations, David Lochridge, center, testifies, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in front of the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, in North Charleston, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Board Chairman Jason Neubauer, left, and board member Thomas Whalen, of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing, speak with former OceanGate's Director of Marine Operations David Lochridge, foreground, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Board Chairman Jason Neubauer, left, and board member Thomas Whalen, of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing, speak with former OceanGate's Director of Marine Operations David Lochridge, foreground left, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Former OceanGate's Director of Marine Operations, David Lochridge, center, stands during his testimony, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, in North Charleston, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

This June 2023 image provided by Pelagic Research Services shows remains of the Titan submersible on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (Pelagic Research Services via AP)

In a still from from a video animation provided by the United States Coast Guard an illustration of the Titan submersible, right, is shown near the ocean floor of the Atlantic Ocean, as June 18, 2023 communications between the submersible and the support vessel Polar Prince, not shown, are represented at left. (United States Coast Guard via AP)

In a still from from a video animation provided by the United States Coast Guard an illustration of the Titan submersible, right, is shown near the ocean floor of the Atlantic Ocean, as June 18, 2023 communications between the submersible and the support vessel Polar Prince, not shown, are represented at left. (United States Coast Guard via AP)

Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen, left, speaks with Nicole Emmons, right, during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard's Thomas Whalen speaks with another Coast Guard member during a break for the Titan marine board formal hearing inside the Charleston County Council Chambers, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Jason Neubauer, board chairman, of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pauses for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing pause for a moment of silence inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Coast Guard members of the investigative board for the Titan marine board formal hearing take an oath inside the Charleston County Council Chambers Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in North Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

A key employee who called the Titan unsafe will testify before the Coast Guard

FILE - This undated image provided by OceanGate Expeditions in June 2021 shows the company's Titan submersible. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP, File)

A key employee who called the Titan unsafe will testify before the Coast Guard

BERLIN, Vt. (AP) — This fall, hundreds of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in Vermont must leave state-funded motel rooms where they’ve been living as the state winds down its pandemic-era motel voucher program. The move is prompting outcry from municipal leaders and advocates who say many don't have a place to go.

The biggest exodus — about 230 households — is expected on Thursday when they reach a new 80-day limit stay in the motel rooms that the Legislature imposed starting in July. Those affected include families, people with disabilities, older individuals, those who are pregnant, and people who have experienced domestic violence or a natural disaster such as a fire or a flood.

A new 1,110-room cap on the number of motel rooms the state can use to house those people in the warmer months from April through November also kicked in Sunday. Some households who still haven't used up their 80 days have been denied rooms because there's no space, advocates say.

In the central Vermont area of the cities of Montpelier and Barre, around 100 to 140 families will be leaving motels this fall. The state estimates that about 1,000 households will be out of motels statewide, said Jen Armbrister, outreach case manager for the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre.

Shelters in the area are consistently full and advocates are racing to find housing in a state with a housing crisis that had the second highest per capita rate of homelessness in the country in 2023, according to an assessment from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“I can’t tell you how many families I’ve sat down with and said I really pray that I would never have to have this conversation with you but we don’t have any solutions,” Armbrister said. She's had to tell them that if they don’t have somewhere to go, the best she’s able to do is put them on a list to get a tent and sleeping bags. But there's nowhere nearby to camp.

The households will be eligible for motel housing again on Dec. 1 as winter sets in. But until then, some don’t know where they will live.

Nova and Bruce Jewett must leave the Hilltop Inn in Berlin on Oct. 1. Bruce Jewett, 63, is a disabled veteran who has cancer and can't camp because of a back injury.

The couple have been looking for housing but say there's none available. They're always put on hold, or told that someone else is looking at a place or that it's been rented, he said.

“It bothers me because I'm a veteran and I don't believe that veterans should be having to deal with this,” he said.

Heidi Wright, 50, must leave the Budget Inn in Barre on Sept. 28. She has seizures, as well as depression, anxiety and emphysema, and she said doctors have talked about putting in a pacemaker.

“My hands are tied ... and I don't know what I'm going to do,” she said.

People are getting desperate, said Armbrister, who met with Wright on Wednesday and told her she would do everything she can to keep her housed.

"There’s no solutions. We’re meeting as much as we possibly can with different organizations, and teams to try to figure this out but nothing’s come up yet for a solution," Armbrister said. “It’s really super sad. It’s traumatic.”

On Wednesday, leaders from more than a dozen Vermont cities and towns called on state government to do more to address the rising rate of homelessness and problems associated with it. They say local governments and service providers are left to deal with the impacts and that municipalities don't have the expertise or resources to handle them.

“Our first responders cannot keep up with the calls, our residents are reluctant to use public spaces, our limited staff are left cleaning up unsanitary messes, volunteers are exhausted, and our nonprofit partners are at a break point,” Montpelier City Manager William Fraser said in a statement.

The state has been attempting to wean itself off the hotel-motel program for a number of years now without much success, Republican Gov. Phil Scott said at his weekly news conference on Wednesday.

"It's just not sustainable on a long-term basis," he said. “It's a difficult situation. (I) understand the point of view of the municipalities as well, but we don't have the resources either and so we're in the position we're at," Scott said.

The long-term approach is trying to establish more shelters, he said, although he added that when the state set up emergency shelters last spring during another reduction to the motel program, few people used them.

While Vermont is working to create more housing, it can't come soon enough.

A shortage of apartments for rent in Vermont contributed to a tripling of the number of Vermonters experiencing homelessness between 2019 and 2023, according to a recent state housing report. City and town leaders say the number of people experiencing homelessness is more than 3,400, up from the 1,100 the state reported in 2020.

Vermont has a rental vacancy rate of just 3% statewide, and it's an estimated 1% in Chittenden County, which includes Vermont’s largest city of Burlington and is the state’s most populous county.

To meet demand, house people experiencing homelessness, normalize vacancy rates and replace homes lost through flooding and other causes, the state will need to create 24,000 to 36,000 homes between 2025 and 2029, according to the most recent Vermont Housing Needs Assessment.

Bruce and Nova Jewett, who are experiencing homelessness, sit at the Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, where they have been living and will have to leave by Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

Heidi Wright, right, who is experiencing homelessness and must leave her state-funded motel room by Sept. 28, 2024, talks to Jen Armbrister, an outreach case manager for the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

Bruce and Nova Jewett, who are experiencing homelessness, sit at the Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, where they have been living and will have to leave by Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)