The submersible rides cost $250,000 per person. Photo: oceangate.com/
It was the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity to dive into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean and see the wreckage of the Titanic.
But David Pogue, a journalist for the American television company CBS, doubted the prize when he was the last to board. summer.
If the mission were big, the Titan, a submersible that carried passengers almost two and a half miles under the ocean, wouldn't be like that.
No more spacious than a minivan, incredibly controlled by a video game controller; its lighting is bought from a camping store, construction pipes are used as ballast.
“I couldn't help but notice how many parts of this submarine seemed to be improvised, with ready-made components,” Pogue said. Far from the glorified majesty of the ship he should have seen.
In the end, Pogue's journey with the OceanGate tour group into the dark abyss was a resounding success, though it led to him getting lost. for several hours.
The submarine can accommodate four crew members and a pilot. Photo: oceangate.com
This time the situation on Titan is much more serious. The OceanGate submarine is missing and a frantic multinational search is underway for its crew.
There is no indication of what may have happened to the expedition, which began its descent on Sunday morning.
Pogue, a correspondent for CBS, notes that there are grounds for optimism.
“First, they have 96 hours of oxygen on board. Secondly, they have seven different ways to get to the surface, ”he said.
The US Coast Guard said that up to five people can be on board the ship.
In their the number includes British businessman and explorer Hamish Harding, who proudly announced over the weekend that he was joining the tour “as a mission”. specialist.
British explorer Hamish Harding is on the team. Photo: Victoria Sirakova/Getty
Together with Mr. Harding According to him, the crew included “a couple of legendary explorers.”
The French newspaper Le Figaro fears that Paul Henri Narjols, known as “Mr Titanic” submarine, the 73-year-old man shared some of his concerns about the expedition with his relatives before leaving.
Mr. Nargole reportedly said he “doesn't trust this new composite submarine with a 60cm porthole, but I'll still go for the beauty of the expedition.”
Mr Harding wrote on Saturday on social media that “the weather window has just opened and tomorrow we will try to dive.” He promised more updates if the weather continues.
The Titan submersible
The group planned to start their descent at 4 am on Sunday. Mr. Harding's company, Action Aviation, later confirmed that the launch was a success.
The descent, exploration of the Titanic, and return to the ocean surface could take up to 12 hours.
But to 9:13 pm Sunday evening, fears intensified and the Titan submersible was reported missing. from the Mi'kmaq tribe in Newfoundland, Canadian broadcaster CBC reported.
An indigenous leader owns the ship that launched the OceanGate submarine into the ocean. Unlike submarines, which sail and return to port under their own power, submarines require a ship to launch and recover.
The US Coast Guard is conducting the search with the assistance of the Canadian Coast Guard and several others.
Another submersible has been brought in from the US to join the search.
The 1805 Titanic wreck on the transatlantic route
OceanGate's latest expedition to the Atlantic was announced on social media four days earlier on June 15.
The company tweeted pictures of two groups of about two dozen people, young and old, smiling in matching navy blue jackets.
“It's been an incredibly busy two weeks! Thank you to all of our dive teams that have joined us – here's a look at our Mission 3 and Mission 4 team,” the accompanying message reads.
As the team's fate remains uncertain, OceanGate said. he has received “extensive assistance” from several government agencies and deep sea companies in his efforts to re-establish contact with passengers.
“Our focus is on the submersible's crew members and their families,” he said.
Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard told FoxNews that the agency did not have adequate equipment in the search area to conduct “comprehensive hydroacoustic survey of the bottom”. .
He said: “Right now we are just focused on trying to find the ship again by saturating the air with air assets, tasking surface assets in the area, and then using underwater sonar. .”
According to Rear Admiral Mauger, the US military sent a C-130 patrol aircraft to survey the surface of the sea. Canadian Search and Rescue deployed C-130 and Orion P-8, which can drop sonar buoys to detect underwater noise.
Rear Admiral Mauger added that rescue services were notified on Sunday. The vessel is designed to surface automatically in the event of a problem and should have 72 hours of oxygen remaining as of Monday afternoon.
OceanGate Expeditions depart from Newfoundland, Canada, the easternmost tip of North America, — and it takes them about two days to reach the dive site in the North Atlantic.
The company has previously said it was able to “sink successfully” with the Internet connection provided by Elon Musk's Starlink company.
It offers a 10-day Titanic Expedition package for about $250,000 per passenger.
p> View of the wreck of the Titanic from above
The fate of the Titanic has captivated the imagination of many ever since it collided with an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912.
The ship was en route from England to New York with 2224 passengers and crew on board. More than 1,500 people died as a result of the tragedy.
The wreck split in two 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland at a depth of 12,500 feet.
It was found in 1985. and remains a source of admiration and lure for marine experts and underwater tourists.
The wreck of the Titanic is nearly two years old. A mile and a half in the ocean. Photo: RMS Titanic, Inc
Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, said he saw an opportunity to organize deep-sea tours while watching Virgin Galactic's space launch with Richard Branson.
The Titan is the only five-man submarine capable of going deep into the Titanic , which is half the depth of the ocean,” he previously told the CBC.
“There are no switches and things to stumble upon, we have one button to turn it on.
“Everything else is done with touch screens and computers, so you really become part of the vehicle and everyone gets to know each other well.”
Mr Rush dismissed Pogue's suggestion that some elements of the ship were improvised. during their interview last year. “I don't know if I would have used that description,” he told CBS. “There are certain things you want to zip up. A pressure vessel…where we've worked with Boeing, NASA, and the University of Washington. Everything else can fail, your engines can fail, your lights can fail. You will still be safe.”
Who does Mr. Rush serve? Enthusiasts of the Titanic — or “Titanyacs” as he calls them — are willing to pay a hefty price to see the wreckage.
Potential passengers must also come to terms with the risks involved in seeking thrills.
Pog noted that the OceanGate documents state that the “experimental vessel” has not been approved “by any regulatory authority and may result in physical injury, emotional injury or death.”
“Where to sign?” — said the journalist.
Recent Comments