Netflix viewers say Titan submersible doc leaves out key incident ahead of fatal implosion
Eagle-eyed Netflix viewers watching the new Titan Sub documentary have been left with questions after noticing that a key detail about an incident was left out.
Netflix’s newest doc Titan: The Oceangate Submersible Disaster, has been well received by viewers and critics alike.
Many have praised the insight it gave into Stockton Rush and Oceangate prior to the Titan Sub disaster that cost the lives of five - including the late CEO Rush.
This includes the horrifying footage shown in the documentary which reveals that the submersible would regularly make ‘popping sounds’, which potentially were caused by the slow degradation of the carbon fibre hull.
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One of the most shocking incidents in the documentary was a test dive in 2016 in which they surveyed the Andrea Doria shipwreck.
Interviewed in the documentary was David Lochridge, an experienced pilot and diver and Oceangate’s former Director of Marine Operations until Rush fired him for raising safety concerns.
He described how, on the day of the Andrea Doria test dive, Stockton Rush informed him that he wanted to be the one to pilot the submersible, despite having far less experience.
Whilst he argued his case, Rush was the CEO and founder of the company, so he ultimately got his way – though Lochridge petitioned to be allowed to join them.
Things went sideways, however, when he ignored weather warnings and proceeded to crash the submersible into debris and proceeded to jam the sub into the side of the decaying ship.
In the documentary it shows Lochridge demanding he pass him the controller which operated the sub, a Logitech F710 video-game controller.
Lochridge safely navigates them out and describes how Rush didn’t speak to him after they returned to the surface and not long after, he was iced out of important discussions about the sub.
Some viewers on Reddit have noticed the fact that this sequence of events leaves out vital context about the Andrea Doria test dive.
One fan posted: “Why did they tell the story of the 2016 Andrea Doria situation but leave out the part where a client yelled at Rush to pass the controller to Lochridge so he threw it at the ‘starboard side’ of his head?
“And they were recording inside the submersible so they must’ve had footage of that moment?”
This information came from Lochridge’s testimony to the US Coast Guard, who were investigating the implosion of the sub and the culpability of Ocean Gate.
He described how Lochridge pleaded multiple times to be given the controller and Rush only complied when a paying customer on the dive demanded he hand it over.
He then threw the controller at Lochridge’s head per his testimony, leading one of the buttons to fly off.
Another comment on the Reddit post said: “This really annoyed me too.”
Others, however, pointed out that Netflix likely simply chose to solely follow the footage, which was provided by Oceangate, and that this recording simply may not have included the moment.
Regardless, it shows that even with all the crazy incidents shown in the documentary, more stories about the Titan sub implosion still exist.
Topics: Titan Submersible, Netflix, TV and Film, Film, Documentaries
Michael Slavin