SUB TRAGEDY
Who built the Titanic submarine and how much did it cost?
Plus, video footage of the knocking sounds that kept false hopes during the sub’s search alive
IN June 2023, a frantic search for five passengers on board the Titanic Submarine captured the world’s attention.
Here we take a look at what happened to the submarine, how much it cost to build and the company that provided the vessel.
1
Who built the OceanGate Titanic submarine?
The submarine was designed and run by OceanGate Expeditions - an ocean exploration company founded in 2009 with a fleet of submersibles intended to help tourists experience and explore deep-sea diving.
Stockton Rush, the founder of OceanGate Expeditions, was aboard his company's Titan submersible when it vanished during an excursion to the wreck of RMS Titanic.
He was among a number of passengers on board the sub who tragically lost their lives.
In an interview in 2022, Mr Rush told how his main worry was that the sub - created by OceanGate and steered by a gaming controller - would get trapped under the water.
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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.
Stockton Rush
He told CBS: ";What I worry about most are things that will stop me from being able to get to the surface.
"Overhangs, fish nets, entanglement hazards."
The engineer had also spoken in an interview with David Pogue about the logistics of the Titan.
He explained: "We run the whole thing with this game controller."
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There were also Camper World LED lights installed inside and a number of the cameras were in fact security cameras.
Rush was asked: "It seems like this submersible has some elements of MacGyvery jerryriggedness."
To which he responded that the pressure vessel was created by working with Boeing, NASA, and the University of Washington.
Rush added: "That part, once the pressure vessel is — you’re certain it’s not going to collapse on everybody, everything else can fail.
"It doesn’t matter. Your thrusters can go. Your lights can go. All these things can fail. You’re still going to be safe."
He also said: "You know, there’s a limit. You know, at some point, safety just is pure waste.
"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."
How much did the Titanic submarine cost to build?
According to an archived version of the website, the eight-day tour had a starting price of $250,000.
However, as reported by , Doug Virnig, who helped with the development of OceanGate's Titan, claimed it was deliberately designed with low-tech.
The former employee also claimed the £250,000 seat price was to fund research rather than help build a career in adventure tourism.
The vessel measured 6.7 metres, about the size of a minivan and was built using carbon fibre and titanium which made it lighter than other subs.
What happened to the Titanic submarine?
The Titan was found to have imploded just metres away from the Titanic killing the five crew in “milliseconds”.
Alongside Stockton Rush, those on board included British businessman Hamish Harding, veteran submarine pilot and long-time researcher of the wreck of the Titanic, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and Shahzada Dawood, who was on board with his son, Suleman.
I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them.
Rear Admiral John Mauger
Search teams were alerted after Titan lost contact with its mothership and vanished during an expedition to the Titanic wreck on Sunday, June 18, 2023.
After an agonising wait for news on the second day of the search, reports emerged that bizarre noises were detected deep underwater.
The chilling bangs came in pairs of two knocks and had a regular hollow beat.
After the sound was first recorded at around 11.30pm on June 20, the US Navy then confirmed that it had detected the noises the following morning.
Following this, rescue teams continued to attempt to track down the missing submarine before oxygen was expected to run out.
Tragically, the mysterious knocking sound was later attributed to the noises of other ships in the area by experts.
According to a US defence official, they heard "an acoustic anomaly consistent with an implosion" just hours after the sub lost contact.
A spokesman for the US Coast Guard said debris found in the search was "consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber".
Rear Admiral John Mauger told a press conference in Boston: "This morning, an ROV, or remote operated vehicle from the vessel Horizon Arctic discovered the tail cone of the Titan submersible approximately 1,600ft (500m) from the bow of the Titanic on the sea floor.
Mauger added: "The ROV subsequently found additional debris. In consultation with experts from within the unified command, the debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber.
"Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families.
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"On behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command, I offer my deepest condolences to the families. I can only imagine what this has been like for them.
"And I hope that this discovery provides some solace during this difficult time."
Titanic OceanGate Submarine News
Everything you need to know about the missing submarine, which vanished near the Titanic on June 18, 2023.
- What happened to the OceanGate Submarine?
- When did it go missing?
- Who is Hamish Harding?
- How deep is the Titanic in the ocean?
- Can the passengers escape the submarine alive?
- Do submarines like this disappear often and has this happened before?
- Who is taking part in the rescue effort?
- Who is Paul-Henry Nargeolet and what is he known for?
- Who else is missing on the stricken vessel?
- When did the Titanic sink and have people explored the wreckage before?
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