OceanGate founder would 'fly off the handle' and had 'total disregard for safety' of doomed Titan sub

Former OceanGate Director of Operations David Lochridge revealed the late CEO, Stockton Rush who was among the five who died aboard the Titan sub, was a hotheaded and impatient boss with a tendency to lose his temper .

Lochridge recalled an instance when he raised safety concerns about the Titan to Rush who immediately "dismissed me on every single occasion," he said. His worries seemed to be shared with only one other person: finance director Bonnie Carl. Both the CEO and Engineering Director Tony Nissen swatted his concerns and moved ahead with plans despite the egregious errors that would eventually cost five people their lives.

It was hard for Lochridge to do anything about it because he feared retaliation. "It was naive of me not to think he was going to do something to me for doing this," the former director said. "I knew how Stockton would fly off the handle."

• Titan's former lead engineer's haunting four-word warning before doomed voyage to Titanic wreckage
• First pic of doomed Titan sub on ocean floor after implosion as tragic last 'all good' message from crew is revealed

During another meeting, the two verbally sparred with each other while debating whether an implosion was imminent if the vessel were to go on a deep-sea voyage. Rush said the Titan "doesn't just implode, it screams like a mother before it implodes". That sentence, according to Lochridge, raised alarms. "For the CEO to say that about the carbon fibre [hull] in front of other people... it's disgusting, appalling, a total disregard for safety," he said.

It was obvious they didn't care. Nevertheless, Lochridge said he repeatedly requested pressure test information regarding the Titan's view port but was brushed off. Lochridge reluctantly acknowledged that Rush was never going to take his stark safety concernbs seriously.

The safety errors tragically showed themselves last year when Rush and four other passengers lost communications with HQ and likely suffocated. Tym Catterson, a contractor who gave evidence to the panel Monday, reportedly shared Lochridge's doubts. At one point, he revealed to the former director that he would've never step foot inside the vessel.

Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories

The first picture of the Titan submersible lying on the ocean floor was released Monday, a little over a year after its horrific implosion. The image, captured by a remotely operated vehicle during the search for the five crew members after the horrific incident, shows the aft tail cone positioned upright in the mud at 3,775m deep next to other debris. The eerie photo was released as the first day of a hearing looking into the tragedy began Monday and is expected to last two weeks.

On Monday, officials revealed the last message from the Titan was "all good here" while it was 3,341m deep. The message, sent at 10:47 a.m. read: "dropped two wts"