Inside The Missing Submersible On A Doomed Trip To The Ocean Floor
We take you Inside the Missing Titanic Sub as the media has started a countdown on how long those on board the lost Titan submersible have until they run out of oxygen. As of Midnight GMT, they have approximately 12 hours of oxygen left.
A video published by WTX News shows the distinct sounds of banging which can be heard underwater, which we suspect is from the Oceangate Titan as it’s trending on Twitter.
If those on board are still alive, the conditions they are in will be haunting. Just how anyone has been allowed to embark on this voyage is confusing – the poorly designed sub, the lack of knowledge for those trying to mount a rescue – its unknown territory.
The deep sea community is small, if the sub is located, the next task is figuring out how to even raise it to the surface.
The facts
- Five people – including three Britons are missing in a sub which was attempting to view the wreck of the Titanic
- The sub is set to run out of oxygen on Thursday at 11:00 BST
- The US Coastguard is leading the operation but has been an international response to the missing sub, with France, Canada and private companies – including from the UK helping in the search
- It’s unclear if the sub is at the bottom of the ocean or floated to the top
- Those inside the sub are bolted in from the outside
- The CEO of OceanGate Expeditions which operates the vessel, is also on board
- The mission was to visit the famous British ship the Titanic, which sank in 1912 and now sits on the ocean floor
What happened TO Titan?
Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate Expeditions, British-Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood and his son, Sulaiman, British billionaire Hamish Harding and French submersible pilot, Paul-Henri Nargeolet were aboard the submersible that disappeared after embarking on a trip to the Titanic shipwreck.
The trip was organised by OceanGate Expeditions and on average cost $250,000 per person, per trip.
The sub-named Titan – lost contact with the research ship, MV Polar Prince, in the Atlantic Ocean, just one hour and 45 minutes into the dive on Sunday 18 June 2023.
The sub was heading to the Titanic wreckage which is roughly 12,500ft deep – that’s around two-and-a-half miles – on the ocean bed in two sections around 600 metres apart and 435 miles off the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Oceangate CEO Rush carried out a tour of Titan last year, which revealed the cramped conditions inside the sub and questionable technology.
A major rescue operation is happening both underwater and on top.
The Titan should be around here
What’s it like on board the Titan?
The inside space of the Titan is 22ft long and 9ft wide, with a height of kist over 8ft. It can hold five people – that’s one pilot and four crew.
When giving a tour of the inside of the sub to BBC’s The Travel Show last year, CEO Rush said: ‘We are inside the submersible, Titan, which is a carbon fibre and titanium sub that can go to the depths of the Titanic.’
Showing a small hole in the base of the sub next to its only tiny window, he explained: ‘This is the only toilet available on the deep-diving Oceangate sub.
‘Best seat in the house, you can look out the viewport, we put a privacy screen in, turn up the music and it’s very popular.’
He added: Inside the missing Titan sub ‘We have our control screen, our sonar screen and we can put any image we want in the back.’
The £42 Xbox game controller
There has been much made over the fact the missing Oceangate sub is being driven by a £42 Xbox game controller and touch screens.
Crew members communicate with the mothership via text message and there is no GPS system.
Crew members communicate with the mothership via text message and there is no GPS system.
Mr Rush said: ‘We’ve taken a completely new approach to the sub design and it’s all run with this game controller and these touch screens.
‘It’s Bluetooth so I can hand it to anybody and it’s meant for a 16-year-old to throw it around and super durable. We keep a couple of spares on board just in case.’
Whilst a lot has been made over the fact it’s controlled by a games controller, it’s worth noting that many military and forces globally use Xbox controllers and other gaming pads to steer expensive kits such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – and have been for over a decade.
Experts say that the use of a gamepad in the sub isn’t surprising, but in fact, the type of controller they opted for is.
The BBC footage shows that the game controller being used in the Titan appears to be a Logitech pad, which was released all the way back in 2011.
‘Off-the-shelf technology or a simple metal tube?’
The Titan can travel 13,123ft deep – that’s 4,000 metres – for ‘site survey and inspection, research and data collection, film and media production, and deep sea testing of hardware and software’, according to OceanGate’s website.
Titan is described on the website as: ‘Through the innovative use of modern materials, Titan is lighter in weight and more cost efficient to mobilise than any other deep diving submersible.
‘A combination of ground-breaking engineering and off-the-shelf technology gives Titan a unique advantage over other deep diving subs.’
Previous passengers of the 10-hour Titan trip have told media outlets that sandwiches and water are provided on the trip. There is a toilet on board at the front of the sub – and has a small curtain for privacy. It is said the pilot turns up the music when someone is using the toilet.
Running out of oxygen isn’t the only concern, there is limited food and water onboard and no room to move around
The sub is around the size of a minivan – it’s a tight fit with no seats on board. Instead, passengers pay to sit in a metal tube with their backs to the curved walls. There is some overhead lighting a little room to move or stand.
The sub has a porthole – the size of a washing machine window – to view the Titanic.
Mike Reiss, a producer and writer for “The Simpsons,” boarded the vessel, known as the Titan, last summer. He said that passengers were required to sign a waiver that mentioned death three times on the first page.
How is Titan launched and recovered?
Titan is launched from a recovery platform, which has tanks used to sink and resurface the vessel, meaning a large support ship or crane is not needed in coastal waters.
The platform floods its flotation tanks with water for a controlled descent to 9.1 metres to avoid any surface turbulence.
Once submerged, the platform uses a patented motion-dampening flotation system to remain coupled to the surface while providing a stable underwater platform.
At the end of each dive, it lands on the submerged platform and the entire system is brought to the surface in approximately two minutes by filling the ballast tanks with air.
There is no way to get out of the sub as those inside are locked in with 17 bolts from the outside.
Titanic mission by Oceangate CEO
CEO Rush said: ‘Years ago, the Russians took tourists out to the Titanic and it was just sort of a look and sea thing. We really are focusing on the science around it.’
‘We want to document what the wreck is like now and also try to predict what it will be like in the future.’
OceanGate says: ‘Given the massive scale of the wreck and the debris field, multiple missions performed over several years will be required to fully document and model the wreck site.
‘This longitudinal survey to collect images, videos, laser, and sonar data will allow objective assessment of the rate of decay and documentation of the process.’
Each expedition lasts 10 days, with eight of those at sea on a larger ship, while the submersible dive itself is only supposed to last 10 hours.
Search and rescue operation
US and Canadian ships and planes have been involved in the rescue efforts, but the remote location and depth make the operation particularly challenging.
Private companies – including Magellan, a British firm that specialises in deep ocean investigations and recovery operations, are supporting the rescue mission.
It is unclear whether the Titan is still underwater or had surfaced and was unable to communicate.
If the Titan is at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, how will it be bought to the surface?
If there was not a catastrophic event that damaged the vessel – like a fracture to the hull or a fire, it’s likely to be on the surface or on the seabed.
If it is stuck at the bottom, once it’s located, it will need some form of technology to dislodge it. One of the theories is that the Titan lost power and currents swept it into some of the wreckage of the Titanic.
A French vessel, which has onboard a deep-sea robot can be deployed to search the Ocean floor – and is en route to the search site, might need to dislodge the sub or cut away whatever has trapped it, allowing the sub to float to the top.
Search teams are still looking on the surface as the sub will still need to be opened from the outside for the team onboard to get air.
Those inside the Submersible are bolted in from the outside so even if they find away to refloat, they will need to be cut out of the metal tube as quickly as possible
What is clear is time is running out to rescue the five on board. There’s no clear-cut plan as coast guards and other rescue operations have not dealt with a scenario like this before.
Most major marine operators require that chartered vessels are “classed” by an independent group, such as the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). But Titan is not classed according to Oceangate themselves. In a blog post from 2019, the firm claimed that it is the innovation behind their vessel which makes it difficult for an external body to certify.
It means the Oceangate sub is essentially ‘homemade’ – and poorly manufactured and should be criminally investigated for negligence.
If those on board are saved, it will be a miracle. Either way, there are serious questions to be raised about deep sea exploration and who is allowed to organise such trips.
