He had safety concerns: acquaintance of British billionaire canceled submarine ride

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“I was one of the first to sign up for this trip with Ocean Gate.” The deposit for the dive had already been paid. But then Chris Brown (61) took a closer look at the company. In the end, he decided to call off the case. Concerns about safety were too great.

Missed important test goals?

Brown, who is a close friend of now-missing British billionaire Hamish Harding (58), was shocked, among other things, by the fact that the submarine was controlled with a modified Logitech video game controller, he told The Sun.

The checks weren’t the only thing that made the multimillionaire uncomfortable. He has repeatedly heard that Ocean Gate missed important targets when the submarine “Titan” was tested in the deep sea.

TV journalist David Pogue also had concerns

And, “I found out they used old jetty piles for the submarine’s ballast,” the adventurer explained. He is not usually the risk taking type, but in the end he asked for a refund of the deposit he paid for the dive.

Brown’s descriptions match those of American journalist David Pogue, who had to make a horror dive last year. “This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory agency and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma or death,” Pogue reads in a TV report from a document he was required to sign before the dive.

Brown also spoke to the British tabloid about his Gspänli Harding. “Hamish is not the type to panic,” he revealed. “I firmly believe that he will have a calming influence on the other members of the team and give them hope.”

The submarine left on Sunday for a tourist diving trip to the wreck of the sunken Titanic. After nearly two hours, however, contact was broken and since then there has been no trace of the submarine. (nad)

Source: Blick