(NewsNation) — A former OceanGate mission specialist is defending the company’s late CEO, Stockton Rush, after Rush was blamed in a Coast Guard report for the 2023 Titan submersible disaster.

Rush, who was piloting the sub when it imploded during a voyage to the Titanic wreck site, was among five people killed. Earlier this month, the U.S Coast Guard released its final 335-page report, calling the tragedy “preventable” and citing Rush’s negligence, OceanGate’s “critically flawed” safety practices and efforts to exploit regulatory gaps. Investigators said failures in design, certification, maintenance and inspections were the primary causes.

However, the former employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told The New York Post that passengers were fully briefed on the risks.

“Anybody who we

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