New York, Boston When searching for the missing submersible “Titan” in the Atlantic, emergency services may have heard a sign of life from the occupants. On Tuesday, search teams had registered a kind of knocking noise every 30 minutes in the region where the submersible was suspected, according to an internal memo from the US government, from which the broadcaster CNN and the magazine “Rolling Stone” on Wednesday night (local time) quoted.
Four hours later, after additional sonars were deployed, the knocking could still be heard, it said. According to the memo, however, it was unclear exactly when and for how long the noise was heard. A later update, sent Tuesday night, reported additional noises, but they were no longer described as “knocking,” CNN wrote. The acoustic sounds indicated that there was still hope for survivors, it said.
The US Coast Guard also said a Canadian search plane heard “underwater noise”. Diving robots have been moved to the area to investigate the origin of the noise. At first this was unsuccessful.
The 6.70 meter small and 10.4 ton vehicle was on its way to the wreck of the Titanic and has been missing since Sunday morning (local time). According to estimates by the authorities, the oxygen should only last until Thursday noon (CEST).
There are five people on board: the French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, the British adventurer Hamish Harding and the British-Pakistani business consultant Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman. Captain was the head of the operating company, Stockton Rush.
The image shows submersible pilot Randy Holt (right) and Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush (left) on a 2013 dive about three miles (4.8 kilometers) off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Rush is one of the five passengers on board the missing submarine.
(Photo: dpa)
Oceangate, the operator and manufacturer of the missing Titanic submersible, fired an employee in 2018 who had previously pointed out safety flaws. According to court documents, the company sued employee David Lochridge that same year for allegedly leaking confidential information in violation of his employment contract.
Ex-employee had pointed out security gaps and was fired
In fact, the trained submarine pilot and underwater inspector Lochridge had filed a whistleblower complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In return for the lawsuit against him, he himself filed a complaint against Oceangate. In it, he accuses the Washington-based company of wrongfully terminating him because his actions were aimed at ensuring the safety of passengers on the submersible Titan.
This explosive legal dispute comes to light at a time when the Navy is now also looking for the missing submersible with five passengers on board, which wanted to view the wreck of the Titanic four kilometers below the surface. According to the Navy, the deep-sea recovery system with the abbreviation “Fadoss” should arrive in the Canadian city of St. Johns in Newfoundland on Wednesday night (local time). It was initially unclear when it could reach the search area hundreds of kilometers further south.
The US Navy describes “Fadoss” as a “portable ship lifting system that provides reliable deep-sea lifting capacity of up to 27 tons for the recovery of large, bulky and heavy sunken objects such as airplanes or small ships.” The device’s winch and cable are included different sizes depending on the type and weight of the object to be lifted. “Fadoss” could only be used once the submersible had been found. So far, however, there is no trace of the “Titan”.
Oceangate itself says it is making every effort to rescue the five missing. “Our entire focus is on the well-being of the crew and every possible step will be taken to bring the five crew members back safely,” the statement said. “We are deeply grateful for the urgent and comprehensive support we are receiving from multiple government agencies and deepwater companies as we attempt to reestablish contact with the submersible.”
Ex-employee warned: The paying passengers were not aware of the risks
In Lochridge’s complaint, five years ago, the fired employee warned of the risks of diving on the Titan. In his complaint, filed in US District Court, Lochridge says he raised concerns with Oceangate about Titan’s safety and advised the company to conduct further hull testing.
Lochridge says he had disagreed with his employer about the best way to test the submarine’s safety. He also spoke out against Oceangate’s decision to conduct dives without the so-called “non-destructive testing.” In these “non-destructive tests” the materials are tested for their durability and reliability.
The paying passengers would not have been aware that hazardous flammable materials were used in the submersible. Nor would they have been informed of the hull’s experimental design and lack of non-destructive testing, Lochridge’s complaint said.
In particular, Oceangate is said to have installed viewing windows that were only approved to a pressure of 1300 meters, according to the lawsuit – “although Oceangate planned to take passengers down to a depth of 4000 meters”. Oceangate refused to pay the manufacturer for viewing windows for depths of up to 4,000 meters.
“Rather than address concerns, take corrective action to ensure the safety of the experimental ‘Titan’ or have a standards classification agency inspect, Oceangate did the exact opposite – they fired Lochridge immediately,” the statement said court document. “Oceangate gave Lochridge about ten minutes to clear his table and leave the premises.”
Oceangate’s lawsuit and Lockridge’s complaint were settled out of court.
With material from dpa
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