Upcoming Billionaire Plans to Explore the "Titanic" in a Submarine
Last year, an unfortunate event took place when the submersible 'Titan' imploded during its journey to the 'Titanic' wreck, resulting in the loss of five lives. However, this didn't discourage a billionaire from Ohio who's now determined to take the risk and explore the deep sea once again.
It's been nearly a year since the 'Titan' imploded, and despite the tragic incident, fascination with the deep sea and the required funds haven't waned. A billionaire real estate investor from Ohio wants to step into a newly built submersible and dive to the 'Titanic' wreck to prove the industry is now safer after the 'Titan' incident. He reached out to the co-founder of underwater vehicle company 'Triton', Patrick Lahey, and together, they've set their sights on a safer expedition with the submersible 'Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer.'
Patrick remembered their conversation after the 'Titan' incident when Larry called him up and expressed the desire to build a submersible capable of diving to the 'Titanic' depths. They wanted to demonstrate that such dives were possible and the 'Titan' incident was a design failure. Impressed by the idea, he and Larry, who has previously been to the international space station, plan to move forward with the 'Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer,' a 20 million dollar submersible that can accommodate two people and dive to a staggering depth of 4000 meters. The 'Titanic' wreck at 3800 meters should be reachable with this vessel.
Larry expressed confidence in this plan, as the boat is a result of Patrick's years of experience and design. "Patrick has been thinking about it for over a decade and designed it," Larry shared in an interview. "But it was only possible to actually implement it now." He acknowledged that they couldn't have built the boat five years ago and highlighted the advancements in materials and technology as the key reasons. The new submersible aims to prove that the expedition can be carried out safely.
The 'Titan' had set out for an exploration trip to the 'Titanic' wreck in June of the previous year. They lost contact with the mother ship, prompting a frantic search operation to begin. Debris from the wreckage of the submersible was found just 500 meters from the 'Titanic' wreck, indicating that the hull had given way due to immense water pressure and imploded. The passengers likely perished instantly.
The global reaction was one of shock and anger. The industry itself criticized 'Oceangate', the company that built the 'Titan', for disregarding essential safety standards and treating safety as a 'waste of time.' The company's co-founder, Stockton Rush, even admitted in an interview that Oceangate had broken some rules with the 'Titan' during its construction and use. The submersible was not classified by state authorities and had an experimental design. It was, in fact, built with carbon fiber - a material known to develop cracks after repeated dives.
Many industry experts offered cautions and warnings to Rush and his team. However, they remained adamant. Lahey, a critic of 'Oceangate' that closed its business, also noted the decline in interest in deep-sea diving following the incident. He argued that the industry differentiates between classified and unclassified boats, and his company works with maritime classification agencies to ensure safety.
Connor and Lahey share a similar enthusiasm, according to their statements. In an interview, Connor revealed his excitement about the idea of exploring the 'Titanic' wreck. He confessed to being scared, almost like hitting a deer, but not fearless. He hopes to show the world that the ocean is powerful, but also beautiful and worth exploring. However, he did not specify when the expedition would take place.
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Source: www.ntv.de
