Lake Forest man who was aboard Titan in 2021 wasn't aware of safety concerns

When David Waud heard a submersible on its way down to survey the wreckage of the Titanic had gone missing Sunday, he knew it could be only one vessel.

"I knew it had to be the Titan," said Waud, who ventured into the depths of the Atlantic aboard the Titan on an expedition led by the company OceanGate, in 2021.

"My first guess was that something had happened to the pressure hull, the pressure chamber, and that it had imploded," Waud said.

His fears were realized Thursday morning, when the U.S. Coast Guard said the submersible had imploded near the wreckage of the Titanic, killing all five people on board. Waud knew two of the men who died.

In the days since the submersible first went missing, Waud said he has read of newly uncovered allegations suggesting there had been significant warnings made about safety during the Titan's development.

An engineering report in 2018 said the craft needed more testing and that passengers might be endangered when it reached "extreme depths," according to a lawsuit filed that year in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Had Waud known about the report in 2021, he most likely wouldn't have made the voyage.

"I don't think I would have gone on the trip," Waud said. "But I was completely confident when I did go."

• The Associated Press contributed to this report. Read the full story here.