A “toxic workplace culture” coupled with managerial “negligence” combined to deliver the deadly implosion of the Titan submersible, a damning report released Tuesday by the U.S. Coast Guard makes clear.
The final report addressing the 2023 disaster that killed five voyaging to the wreck of the Titanic concluded the implosion was “preventable.”
RELATED: OceanGate’s Remains! Newly-Released Footage Shows Wreckage from Doomed Titanic Sub
As Breitbart News reported, the disappearance of the Titan off Canada led to a search that grabbed worldwide attention, and the Coast Guard convened its highest level of investigation in the aftermath.
The Titan was owned by OceanGate, a private company based in Washington state. The operator of the submersible, OceanGate head Stockton Rush, was among the five on board who lost their lives. The AP notes:
Investigators found that the submersible’s design, certification, maintenance and inspection process were all inadequate.
Throughout the report, which spans more than 300 pages, investigators repeatedly point to OceanGate’s culture of downplaying, ignoring and even falsifying key safety information to improve its reputation and evade scrutiny from regulators.
OceanGate ignored “red flags” and had a “toxic workplace culture,” while its mission was hindered by lack of domestic and international framework for submersible operations, the report says.
Numerous OceanGate employees have come forward in the two years since the implosion to support those claims.
The report, as seen by AP, claims multiple dismissals of senior staff members and the looming threat of being let go were used to dissuade employees and contractors from expressing safety concerns.
In 2018, OceanGate expeditions did fire David Lochridge, the Titan project’s director of marine operations, after he called for more safety tests for the sub.
RELATED: 2018 Footage Shows OceanGate CEO Explaining Pressure Testing Doomed Sub Went Through
In addition to Rush, the implosion killed French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet and British adventurer Hamish Harding.
Two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, were also aboard the doomed vessel.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
