Key witness says Titan only sub not classed by safety agencies

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00:00One of the most anticipated witnesses appeared before the commission on Tuesday,

00:04aimed at unpacking the reasons behind the fate of the Titan submersible.

00:08This time it was the turn of former OceanGate operations director David Lockridge,

00:13who claimed the Titan was the only submersible not fully classed by safety agencies.

00:18He also said operators OceanGate wanted to qualify a pilot in just one day.

00:23It followed on from Monday's session, where OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush

00:28was painted by his lead engineer as an impatient man

00:31who pressured his staff to get the craft into the water.

00:34He asked me, he wanted me to be the pilot that runs the Titanic missions.

00:41And I told him I'm not getting in it.

00:44And he asked me why.

00:47And I said because the operations crew, I don't trust them.

00:51But I didn't trust Stockton either.

00:54Stockton Rush was killed that fateful day along with four others on board

00:58as the Titan imploded on its way to exploring the wreckage of the Titanic.

01:02At the start of these latest proceedings, Coast Guard officials noted that

01:06despite its novel design, the submersible had not been independently reviewed,

01:10a standard practice.

01:12It was also found the vessel had descended 13 times between 2021 and 2022,

01:17reporting 118 technical issues in that time.

01:21Still expected to speak are OceanGate's co-founder,

01:24numerous Coast Guard officials, scientists and industry experts,

01:28with hearings set to last for the next two weeks.

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