Titan CEO Stockton Rush had one hour meltdown after he got another sub stuck in Andrea Doria wreck in 2016 then hurled joystick controller at safety engineer David Lochridge to save them

Stockton Rush, the CEO of the doomed Titan submarine, once suffered an hour-long meltdown during an earlier dive after stranding the ship in another shipwreck, and hurled the joystick controller at a safety engineer to rescue him.

The tantrum was first reported today by Vanity Fair.

It took place in 2016 while Rush and a handful of others were exploring the wreckage of the Andrea Doria.

The Andrea Doria sank in 1956 after colliding with another ship. The wreck lies about 250 feet (75 m) underwater, not far south of Nantucket.

In 2016, Rush led a group to the wreck of the Andrea Doria, only to become trapped in the underwater hull. He eventually allowed an engineer on board to guide them back to the surface, but only after coming under pressure from his well-paid clients

Engineer David Lochridge, who was later fired by Rush for constantly worrying about the Titan’s safety, was on board along with a handful of customers.

Rush insisted on piloting the ship, the Cyclops 1, and landing it near the wreckage.

The engineer, David Lochridge, was eventually fired for raising concerns about Titan and OceanGate

Ignoring recommendations on where to land, he accidentally laid the Titan in the wreckage of the ship.

After an hour of panic, he finally gave in and allowed Lochridge to grab the joystick controller and lead the group back to the surface.

It was only after one of the well-paid guys urged him, “Give him the f*****g controller.”

The anecdote sheds further light on Rush’s absolute refusal to admit his own shortcomings or those of his esteemed project.

On June 18, he led a group of three tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic with French pilot Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77.

The ship imploded underwater, killing the men instantly and launching a multi-day search and rescue operation.

Since the disaster, a slew of anecdotes and evidence of Rush’s ignorance of safety and concerns have become public.

He had ignored multiple warnings from others in the deep-sea community about why his commercial submarine was not safe, including from Lochridge, who rescued the team during the 2016 dive.

The search for the submarine kept the country busy for several days in June

He also refused to subject Titan to a thermal scan that would have revealed weaknesses in the hull, instead relying on “acoustics” to spot any vulnerabilities.

The Vanity Fair reveals details of an incident where it saw it implode at 4,000 psi, a pressure equivalent to only 2,740 meters.

He called it a “success.”

Lochridge, who had moved from Scotland to Washington state with his family to work for Rush, was eventually fired for raising concerns.

Among them was his observation that the hull contained “Swiss cheese” holes.

When his verbal warnings were ignored, he put them in writing.

“Oral communication on the main points I have addressed in my attached document has been rejected on several occasions, so I feel I must make this report now so that there is an official record,” he said.

He was also sued by Rush and OceanGate, his company, tried to force Lochridge to pay his legal fees. Rush sold tickets for the Titanic voyage for $250,000 per person.

Ultimately, OceanGate settled with Lochridge after he filed a countersuit for wrongful termination.

Lochridge has not spoken publicly since the Titan disaster, likely to ensure he does not violate the terms of the settlement.