'No experience!' Titan Sub whistleblower slams OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush
Summary
TLDRThe transcript details concerns raised by an experienced marine operations director regarding the safety and construction of a submersible named Titan. Despite the company's lack of experience in building submersibles since 2009, there was a rush to complete the project, leading to cost-cutting measures and poor engineering decisions. The director, along with other experienced pilots, voiced their concerns about the sub's safety, which were dismissed by the company's management. The director's inspection report, highlighting significant safety risks, was ignored, and the submersible was still pushed into trials, raising questions about the company's prioritization of profit over safety.
Takeaways
- 🛠️ Stockton and the team had no experience in building submersibles.
- ⚠️ The speaker had no confidence in the Titan's construction and raised safety concerns multiple times.
- 💰 The company's focus was on cutting costs and rushing to make a profit from Titanic expeditions.
- 🔧 Many components used in the Titan's construction were faulty or had anomalies, according to the speaker.
- 📢 The speaker and other experienced submersible operators voiced their concerns but were dismissed by management.
- ❌ The company ignored safety concerns in favor of financial gain and speed, a major red flag for the speaker.
- 📝 The speaker submitted a formal report in January 2018, warning of safety risks and calling for corrective actions.
- 🛑 The speaker recommended that the Titan should not be used in manned trials until all safety issues were resolved.
- 👨💼 The management's refusal to listen to safety concerns created tension between the speaker and the rest of the team.
- ⚙️ The speaker conducted a detailed inspection of the Titan's components, finding major deficiencies, but his concerns were not adequately addressed.
Q & A
What was the primary concern expressed by the Director of Marine Operations regarding the submersible?
-The Director of Marine Operations expressed a lack of confidence in the safety and quality of the submersible, citing cost-cutting measures, bad engineering decisions, and a rush to complete the project for profit.
How did the company's inexperience in building submersibles affect the situation?
-The company's inexperience led to a lack of confidence in the submersible's ability to operate safely. The Director of Marine Operations noted that there was no experience across the board within the organization, which raised serious concerns about the safety and reliability of the submersible.
What was the Director of Marine Operations' responsibility towards the safety of the submersible?
-The Director's responsibility was to ensure the safety of the passengers and himself, having 100% confidence in the submersible's ability to maneuver, dive, and surface safely without any component failures or issues.
Why were the concerns of experienced submersible pilots and operators dismissed?
-The dismissal of safety concerns was attributed to a desire to reach the Titanic quickly to start making profits, leading to cost-cutting measures and rushed engineering decisions.
What was the role of the Director of Marine Operations during the construction of the Titan?
-Initially, the Director of Marine Operations was not part of the review process for incoming components. However, he was asked to inspect the Titan before it was handed over from engineering to operations.
What was the significance of the document labeled 'exhibit 098'?
-Exhibit 098 was an inspection report created by the Director of Marine Operations, detailing significant safety concerns and deficiencies in the submersible's components. It was intended to serve as an official record of issues that needed to be addressed.
Why did the Director of Marine Operations feel the need to create a formal report?
-The Director felt compelled to create a formal report because verbal communications of key safety issues had been dismissed on several occasions, and he wanted to ensure there was an official record for the sake of safety.
What was the Director's recommendation regarding the use of the Titan before safety issues were addressed?
-The Director recommended that the Titan should not be manned during any upcoming trials until suitable corrective actions were in place and closed out.
What was the difference between an inspection and a Quality Inspection according to the Director?
-An inspection, as described by the Director, involves taking detailed notes, providing recommendations, and expressing dissatisfaction with any aspect of the submersible. A Quality Inspection is a more formal process that requires a record to be kept and is typically done before a project is handed over.
What was the timeline for the Director's involvement in the inspection of the Titan?
-The Director had been making notes and verbally expressing concerns throughout the construction process. The formal inspection report was prepared in January 2018, prior to the submersible being handed over from the engineering team to the operations department.
Outlines
🚤 Concerns Over Submersible Safety
The speaker, a Director of Marine Operations, expresses a lack of confidence in the safety and construction of the submersible Titan. Despite having no prior experience in building submersibles, the company had been operating since 2009. The speaker's responsibility is to ensure the safety of passengers and the submersible, yet they had no confidence in the Titan's construction. They were vocal about their concerns, which were dismissed due to cost-cutting measures and rushed engineering decisions aimed at quickly reaching the Titanic to start profiting. The speaker, along with other experienced submersible pilots, voiced their concerns about the engineering and the components that arrived at the facility in 2017.
📄 Documenting Safety Concerns
The speaker describes their role in inspecting incoming components for the Titan submersible, which were placed near their desk. They found no confidence in the efficiency or safety of the components, and were vocal about these concerns to all directors within the organization, including the owner's wife. Safety was prioritized over profit, and the speaker was concerned about the use of faulty and deficient equipment. They mention a specific document, exhibit 098, which was their inspection report highlighting significant safety risks that needed to be addressed before the submersible could be safely operated. The report was sent to all directors, including the CEO, and recommended that the Titan should not be manned during trials until corrective actions were taken.
🔍 The Difference Between Inspection and Quality Inspection
The speaker clarifies the difference between an inspection and a quality inspection. An inspection allows for note-taking, recommendations, and the expression of dissatisfaction, whereas a quality inspection is more formal and requires a record. The speaker was asked to conduct an inspection of the Titan before its handover from the engineering team to the operations department. This inspection was an opportunity to raise all concerns observed during the build process. The speaker had been making notes and verbally communicating their concerns throughout the construction of the Titan.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Submersible
💡Marine Operations
💡Safety Concerns
💡Cost-Cutting
💡Engineering Decisions
💡Profit Motive
💡Quality Inspection
💡Dismissal of Concerns
💡Duty of Care
💡Anomalies and Deficiencies
Highlights
Stockton and the team had no experience in building submersibles, raising concerns about the project's safety and feasibility.
The company's lack of experience since 2009 is highlighted as a significant risk factor for the submersible operations.
The Director of Marine Operations emphasizes a 100% responsibility for the safety of passengers and the submersible's reliability.
Lack of confidence in the Titan's construction is expressed due to cost-cutting measures and poor engineering decisions.
The urgency to reach the Titanic for profit overshadowed safety concerns, according to the experienced engineer.
The dismissal of safety concerns by the chief operating officer is criticized as unacceptable within the submersible industry.
The company's push to complete the project led to skipped steps and evident safety issues, as noted by multiple experienced pilots.
The arrival of substandard components at the facility in 2017 sparked further concerns among the team.
The Director of Marine Operations was not initially part of the review process for incoming components.
Every component inspected showed deficiencies, leading to a lack of confidence in the submersible's safety.
The director's vocal concerns about safety were dismissed, impacting the relationship with the company's management.
The director's inspection report, sent to all directors, highlights significant safety risks that were previously dismissed.
The report recommends that the Titan should not be manned during trials until corrective actions are addressed.
The difference between an inspection and a Quality Inspection is explained, emphasizing the need for a formal record.
The director's opportunity to raise concerns about the build process was during the official Handover of the submersible.
The transcript concludes with a strong emphasis on the importance of safety over profit in submersible operations.
Transcripts
Stockton had no experience building
submersible none of them did none of
them were experienced submersible
operators I know the company had been on
the go since 2009 there was no
experience across the board within that
organization as the Director of marine
operations what is your responsibility
and obligation to the safety of the
submersible that you are operating
um my responsibility is to the
passengers 100% and myself
the the vehicles themselves I've got to
have 100% confidence in the ability to
be able
to maneuver dive bring back up to the
surface and get those people out safely
without any thoughts of our components
going to fail or is there any
issues top side that are going to affect
this it's I mean it's Paramount I mean
you have to have the confidence in the
equipment to do the job it's like every
other industry if you don't have the
confidence in it you don't do it that's
it and did you have confidence in the
way that the Titan was being built at
this time no confidence whatsoever and I
was very vocal about that and still
am and as an experienced engineer and
operator of submersibles with over 25
years of exper experience why do you
think they dismissed your
concerns they cost cutting um bad
engineering decisions i' would say
that's the the two main things the
desire to get to the Titanic as quickly
as they could to start making profit uh
I knew nothing about the financial side
of things but
um yeah there was a big push to get this
done and a lot of steps along the way
were missed and it was pretty evident
not just to myself to Mr Tim Carson to
Chris Imes who are both very experienced
submersible Pilots with years and years
of experience and we all voiced concerns
about what was happening in terms of the
engineering of Titan and even more so
when the components started
arriving at the facility in Everett
during 2017
is the is the dismissal of such safety
concerns by experienced pilots and
operators the norm within the
submersible no it's not acceptable
and I don't know why but um the chief
chief operating officer should who's
running the organization he should when
I or when anybody goes to a chief
operating
officer if the CEO is saying do this and
you don't agree with it you go to your
you're next in command you let them know
that you're not happy with it anytime I
would give my displeasure in what was
happening or disapproval i' say that's
probably the best word um I was
dismissed
so everybody knew from the engineering
team I mean I spoke to every single one
of them all the children that were
coming in straight out University some
hadn't even been to University yet that
Tony and nisson had employed Stockton
had no experience building submersible
none of them did none of them were
experienced submersible operators I know
the company had been on the go since
2009 there was no experience across the
board within that organization that
initially was the entire appeal for me
going across and transforming things and
making something good out of what at the
time was nothing it was nothing it was
all smoking mirrors all the social media
that you see about all these past
Expedition they always had issues with
their expeditions I didn't know this at
the time until I went across speaking to
contractors that had been on the
previous
jobs yeah sorry I do apologize that
was so in the fall of 2017 yes the first
Titan Hall begins to come together so
the the winding is complete and the new
parts begin to come into Ocean Gate were
you there at the time correct I was and
at that point what was your role and
responsibility with regards to the new
Titan Hall and
the and the parts coming in and and
reviewing were you part of the uh review
process of these things coming in to
your submersible initially no not until
I was asked which is on the voice
recording which you have all heard which
um and Stockton States in there he did
ask me to do an inspection of the Titan
this is once the vehicle was
complete so up until
then anytime any of the components would
come in my desk overlooked the the
loading area where stores would come in
the components would come onto the shop
floor before they were taken through to
the engineering department I looked at
everything and there wasn't anything and
I mean anything on that build or
pre-build basically when the components
were there that gave me any confidence
in them producing uh an efficient
product nothing and as I have reiterated
and I probably will continue to do
so I was very vocal about it to all of
them every director within the
organization owner's wife at the time I
don't know whether she was all of them
and it didn't help the relationship but
at the end of the day safety comes first
and any any time you're going in a sub
most important thing is going home safe
to your families not going and making
money and pushing the envelope as
everybody keeps quoting in the news it's
nothing to do with that you want to be
able to do something safely yes you're
taking a risk going down the submersible
but don't take risks that are
unnecessary with faulty and I mean
faulty deficient equipment and
everything that came in had anomalies or
deficiencies in the product itself
I wasn't the only one that saw this
there was a lot of people saw every
component coming
in yeah I was the most
vocal recorder you please bring up
exhibit
098 which
was the director of marine
operations inspection
report
yep Mr Locker have you ever seen this
document absolutely I made this document
and if you have no objections would you
allow me to read this
out and what is that it is the same well
sorry it was the initial cover letter to
all
the um the rest of the directors of the
company and do and Rush the
CEO go ahead okay is this is that the
email that's displayed here sir that
is okay so this was sent to all the
directors Tony Nissen included who was
director of engineering with Cyclops 2
Titan being handed off from engineering
to operations in the coming weeks now is
the time to properly address items that
may pose a safety risk to personel
verbal communication of the key items I
have addressed in my attached document
have been dismissed on several occasions
so I feel now I must make this report so
there's an official record in place as a
director of marine operations it's my
professional opinion that the items
noted in my report are significant in
nature and must be addressed I have also
included my recommendation to how we
should be addressing each issue in the
attached quality inspection
report as stated in my employment
contract and job description David
lockage is responsible for ensuring the
safety of all crew and clients during
submersible and surface
operations I feel we all have a duty of
care as management to all Personnel
whether it be staff or Mission
specialist therefore it is my opinion
that until suitable corrective actions
are in place and closed out Cyclops 2
Titan should not be manned during any of
the upcoming
trials my report and the relevant
attachment ments are merely a clear
stated record of what I feel should be
addressed to allow for successful and
safe operations with Ocean Gate
Incorporated this report was prepared by
myself as part of the pending Handover
of the asset from Ocean Gate engineering
team to the operations department on the
18th of January
2018 and when did you begin conducting
this inspection
so the official report where I
started highlighting I've been I've been
making notes all the way through um when
this product started appearing and
obviously speaking verbally about it um
in terms of the report itself it was in
the
January we had had a conversation myself
Stockton uh Tony was there as well a
week to two weeks prior to this 18th of
January and Stockton as you hear on the
voice recording I was asked to inspect
Titan before the Handover not do a
Quality Inspection of time which is on
the record on the voice recording of my
dismissal which you all hold and have
heard what's what's the difference
between an inspection or a Quality
Inspection okay for me common sense if
you're asked to inspect something it
gives the person inspecting it the
opportunity and the ability to take
notes provide recommendations their
dissatisfaction with anything and submit
that it's not just a case of scribbling
something down on a bit of A4 paper and
handing it over to do an inspection of
something you have to you have to have a
record in place and for me this was my
opportunity being asked to do it prior
to the sub being handed over and
abomination of a sub but prior to that
being handed over this was my
opportunity to raise everything that I
had seen during the build and the final
build of Titan
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