Former OceanGate employee emailed about safety concerns before Titan sub tragedy

A former OceanGate Expeditions employee sent an email years ago expressing concerns about the CEO and safety issues surrounding the company's Titan submersible, which suffered a 'catastrophic implosion' during a dive in the North Atlantic.

“I don’t want to be seen as a tattle tale but I’m so worried he kills himself and others in the quest to boost his ego,” David Lochridge wrote about OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, according to The New Yorker.

Lockridge, who worked at the firm between 2015 and 2018, had voiced his concerns to another ex-associate, Rob McCallum, expressing his concerns about how safe the submersible was.

Mr Lockridge had been involved in legal disputes with the firm, claiming he had been wrongfully fired for raising safety concerns.

“I would consider myself pretty ballsy when it comes to doing things that are dangerous, but that sub is an accident waiting to happen,” Lochridge wrote in the email to Mr McCallum.

He added: "There's no way on earth you could have paid me to dive the thing."

Mr McCallum, a divemaster who has led expeditions to the Titanic also warned Stockton Rush about the safety of the submersible back in 2018 - telling him that he was putting himself and others in danger, according to CNN.

The submersible was just under two hours into a planned dive to reach the remains of the Titanic when it lost contact on June 18.

After several days, and an extensive search and rescue operation, it was announced the craft had suffered a "catastrophic implosion", killing all five men onboard.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.