A friend of one of the now-deceased Titan passengers reportedly dropped out of the voyage after having doubts regarding the “quality of the technology.”
Over a couple of beers, multimillionaire digital marketing tycoon, Chris Brown, 61, and Hamish Harding decided they would make the 12,500-foot dive to see the sunken Titanic, the U.S. Sun reported. The pair first met in 2016 during a trek to the South Pole with veteran U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Brown put down a ten percent deposit on the then $80,000 expedition years ago.
Watch: 2018 Footage Shows OceanGate CEO Explaining Pressure Testing Doomed Sub Went Through
“I was one of the first people to sign up for this trip with OceanGate while the submersible was being developed,” Brown told the U.S. Sun.
However, he asked for a refund on his deposit, with one of his concerns being the vessel was operated by a game-style controller. Lights used in the vessel were reportedly bought from a camping shop.
“We decided the risks were too high in this instance, even though I’m not one to shy away from risk.”
The United States Coast Guard presumed the five passengers dead at 3:04 p.m. on Thursday, Breitbart noted. A remotely operated vehicle discovered debris from the submersible Titan 1,600 feet from the Titanic’s bow. Parts in the debris field included the sub’s pressure chamber, a nose cone, and the front and back end of the pressure hull.
Watch: Coast Guard: Debris from Missing Titanic Sub Found, All Passengers Presumed Dead
“The debris field is consistent with a catastrophic implosion of the vessel,” Rear Admiral John Mauger of the U.S. Coast Guard said during a press conference Thursday. The Titan’s implosion likely happened days ago.
In 2018, OceanGate fired David Lochridge, the Titan project’s director of marine operations after he published a report calling for greater safety inspections on the vessel, Breitbart reported. Lochridge requested OceanGate certify and inspect the Titan through a classification agency, like the American Bureau of Shipping, but OceanGate denied his request.
According to Brown, OceanGate used old scaffolding poles for the sub’s ballast.
“If you’re trying to build your own submarine you could probably use old scaffold poles. But this was a commercial craft,” Brown told the U.S. Sun.
OceanGate could face a multinational investigation into the tragedy, according to former L.A. prosecutor, Joshua Ritter.
“The question of whether OceanGate could face criminal liability has yet to be answered, but some government or perhaps a combination of governments will definitely investigate this tragedy,” Ritter told the DailyMail. “For the company to use a video game controller to steer this submarine, that’s the kind of thing that makes this ripe for an investigation.”