NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA: A massive search and rescue operation launched by the United States and Canadian Coast Guards is currently underway to find the missing OceanGate Expeditions submersible that went missing with five passengers onboard. The deep-sea vessel, called the Titan, reportedly departed St John’s in Newfoundland on Saturday, June 17, to reach the site of the Titanic wreckage.
The submersible launched at around 4 am on Sunday, June 18, but lost communication with the mothership MV Polar Prince an hour and 45 minutes into the two-hour descent. On Monday, June 19, Rear Admiral John Mauger of the US Coast Guard said that “there is somewhere between 70 and the full 96 hours available at this point” for the five people onboard.
Last year, OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush, who is one of the five people present on the missing sub, discussed the safety concerns of the voyage in an interview and opened up about his fears but insisted that the mission was “safe.” He repeatedly mentioned that explorers aboard the voyage would have the necessary amount of oxygen to survive but claimed he was not unaware of the risks associated with the journey.
‘If you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed’
Speaking to CBS News about the risks and safety of the journey to document the Titanic wreckage site, Rush said, “You know, there’s a limit. You know, at some point, safety is just pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed, don’t get in your car. Don’t do anything. At some point, you’re going to take some risk, and it really is a risk/reward question. I think I can do this just as safely by breaking the rules.”
During the interview, Rush also discussed how the design and technology meant to take them on the voyage underwater was supposed to be simplistic. He also mentioned that they used a white Xbox controller to run the operation. “We run the whole thing with this game controller. It should be like an elevator, it shouldn't take a lot of skill,” he shared.
Despite all the challenges, including worries about the crushing weight of the water pressure, Rush was confident about the success of the mission. “I don’t think it’s very dangerous. If you look at submersible activity over the last three decades, there hasn’t even been a major injury, let alone a fatality,” he said at the time.
Safety margin of the Titan submersible
As per information mentioned on OceanGate's website, the submersible touring the Titanic wreckage site can last for up to 96 hours underwater with five people consuming oxygen. According to documents filed by the company with a US District Court in Virginia in April, the Titan is capable of diving 4,000 meters (13,120 ft) underwater “with a comfortable safety margin.”
The deep-sea vessel is made of “titanium and filament wound carbon fiber” and can “withstand the enormous pressures of the deep ocean,” OceanGate previously mentioned. Another court filing from May 2021 showed the company stating that the Titan has an “unparalleled safety feature” that assesses the integrity of the main body of the vessel throughout each dive.
The Titan reportedly underwent 50 test dives, including a depth equivalent to the Titanic site, in the deep waters off the Bahamas, as per OceanGate. The submersible “is sure to usher in a new era of exploration by providing access to 50 percent of the ocean for direct human observation”, the company earlier claimed. A November court filing revealed that OceanGate reported about Titan having a battery issue on its first dive during the 2022 expedition. At the time, the company said that the submersible had to be manually attached to its lifting platform.
Stockton Rush had concerns about the mission
While he was confident about OceanGate Expeditions' Titanic mission, Rush also shared some of his worries during the 2022 interview. Speaking about what he was most worried about, the CEO mentioned the fear of the inability to return to the surface. “What I worry about most are things that will stop me from being able to get to the surface,” he said at the time.
“Overhangs, fish nets, entanglement hazards. And, that’s just a technique, piloting technique. It’s pretty clear - if it’s an overhang, don’t go under it. If there is a net, don’t go near it,” Rush continued. “So, you can avoid those if you are just slow and steady.”
“What worries us is not once you’re underwater,” Rush added. “What worries me is when I’m getting you there, when you’re on the ship in icy states with big doors that can crush your hands and people who may not have the best balance who fall down, bang their head. That’s, to me, the dangerous part,” he explained.
