It seems like history has repeated itself in regards to the missing OceanGate submarine that was sent down to look at the Titanic wreckage. Just like the sunken ship, this submarine was warned about safety problems that could put the passenger’s life in harm’s way if ignored.
Per The Guardian’s live blog covering the latest developments about the missing submersible, discovered documents showed that OceanGate was warned about “catastrophic safety problems” when the vessel was developed. These documents were connected to a 2018 lawsuit, when a former employee and whistleblower, David Lochridge was terminated from his employment after revealing a “scathing quality control report” of the OceanGate vessel, the very same one that went missing recently.
What’s interesting about this was that there was a similar sentiment when the Titanic was first launched 1912. National Geographic reported that the Titanic received warnings from nearby ships before the collision. According to a public NASA report, the ship was warned one hour before the accident by The SS Californian, but was sadly ignored because the captain stated that he was “busy.”
“The disaster hearings also discovered that an important ice-warning message was received approximately one hour before the accident. The SS Californian, on the same route of the Titanic, stopped due to ice and tried to warn Titanic. To this the operator of the Titanic replied, “Shut up. I am busy. I am working Cape Race.” He was focused on his work, that is, sending and receiving passengers’ paid messages.”
Five people are still missing since the submarine submerged on Sunday, including Action Aviation’s chairman Hamish Harding, Titanic explorer, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and OceanGate CEO, Stockton Rush. It was later reported that ‘banging sounds’ had been detected and confirmed by the U.S. coast guard. As of writing, the search for this missing sub continues as with most recent reports confirming the vessel only has about 20 hours of oxygen remaining.
Hopefully, this missing sub does not suffer the same fate as the sunken ship. Best case scenario it’s an eye-opening lesson in being extra vigilant when safety issues and potential dangers are reported.
