Titanic tourist submersible goes missing with search under way

[passenger]

-6/19/23-
A submersible craft used to take people to see the wreck of the Titanic has gone missing in the Atlantic Ocean with its crew on board, sparking a major search and rescue operation.

Tour firm OceanGate, which runs $250,000-a-seat expeditions to the wreck, said it was exploring all options to get the crew back safely.

details..........LINK

 

[Torque]

Oh man! I hope they're alright. Whatever went wrong, I can't imagine how terrifying it is.

 

[Daltonio]

This is legitimately terrifying. Not looking too good.

 

[passenger]

UPDATE - - LINK

-A five-person submersible vessel taking wealthy adventurers on a $250,000 trip to see the wreckage of the 1912 Titanic disaster 12,500 feet (3,800m) undersea is missing in the Atlantic off Canada.

Following is what we know so far:

WHO IS ON BOARD?

* HAMISH HARDING. The British billionaire and chairman of aviation consultancy Action Aviation is among those missing, according to his stepson. Dubai-based Harding had posted on social media that he was proud to be heading to the Titanic as a "mission specialist", adding: "Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow."


In 2016, Harding accompanied former astronaut Buzz Aldrin to the South Pole, when Aldrin became the oldest person ever to reach the Antarctic region, at 86. Harding was also on board the 2019 "One More Orbit" flight mission that set a record for the fastest circumnavigation of earth by aircraft over both geographic poles.

* SHAHZADA DAWOOD and his son SULEMAN. Their family have confirmed they are on board. Shahzada is vice chairman of one of Pakistan's largest conglomerates, Engro Corporation, with investments in fertilisers, vehicle manufacturing, energy and digital technologies. According to the website of SETI, a California-based research institute of which he is a trustee, he lives in Britain with his wife and two children.

* PAUL-HENRI NARGEOLET. The 77-year-old French explorer, whom media say is one of the five on board, is director of underwater research at a company that owns the rights to the Titanic wreck. A former commander in the French Navy, he was both a deep diver and a mine sweeper. After retiring from the navy, he led the first recovery expedition to the Titanic in 1987 and is a leading authority on the wreck site. In a 2020 interview with France Bleu radio, he spoke of the dangers of deep diving, saying: "I am not afraid to die, I think it will happen one day."

* STOCKTON RUSH. The founder and CEO of the vessel's U.S.-based operating company OceanGate is also on the submersible, according to media reports. "It is an amazingly beautiful wreck," Rush told Britain's Sky news of the Titanic earlier this year. "You can see inside, we dipped down and saw the grand staircase and saw some of the chandeliers still hanging."

* According to his biography on OceanGate's website, Rush became the youngest jet transport-rated pilot in the world in 1981 at the age of 19.

WHAT'S THE FIRM BEHIND THIS?

* Based in Everett in Washington State, OceanGate says it uses next generation crewed submersibles and launch platforms to increase deep ocean access as far as 4,000 metres.

* "OceanGate has successfully completed over 14 expeditions and over 200 dives in the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico," its website says. "Following every mission, the team evaluates and updates the procedures as part of a continued commitment to evolve and ensure operational safety."

WHAT IS THE VESSEL?

* Although popularly called a submarine, in marine terminology the "Titan" vessel carrying the five is a submersible. While a submarine can launch itself from a port independently, a submersible goes down off a support ship.

(Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi, Kate Holton in London, Dominique Vidalon in Paris, Yousef Saba in Dubai;Writing by Andrew Cawthorne;Editing by Christina Fincher, Alexandra Hudson)

 

[Torque]

I wonder why they decided to release names. Yesterday they were withholding all but one.

 

[passenger]

I wonder why they decided to release names. Yesterday they were withholding all but one.

I heard/read that some of the next of kin had not yet been contacted.

 

[MrDawn]

That would be a scary way to go.

 

[passenger]

That would be a scary way to go.

Sure would. Unless it was something instantaneous like a sudden implosion.

If it's some drug out mechanical problem and involves running out of air.........

 

[MrDawn]

Sure would. Unless it was something instantaneous like a sudden implosion.

If it's some drug out mechanical problem and involves running out of air.........

I really feel for the families. They must be sick with grief.

 

[Daltonio]

Have you guys seen the photos of this thing?
Not that I'm blaming any of them but you could not pay me to get in that. Even if you got down there to the ship, you wouldn't be able to see much from the tiny window.

 

[Torque]

I'm reading now that literally dozens of experts warned the company that the submersible was potentially not safe years ago. As just one example, the porthole window is only rated for up to 1,300 meters of depth and the Titanic is at around 4,000 meters.

 

[passenger]

Have you guys seen the photos of this thing?
Not that I'm blaming any of them but you could not pay me to get in that. Even if you got down there to the ship, you wouldn't be able to see much from the tiny window.

Overwhelming sense of adventure? Staying ahead of the Jones's? ....... "I've done something bigger & better & more expensive than you"?
I mean....there's no way I'd get in one of those space capsules to go for a ride either. I'm too fond of dirt.

Had not seen a photo of the super-cramped inside of this "sub".
I did notice, on the tv news this evening, that that 'vessel' was 21-feet long. Heck, that's even a pretty small rowboat!

 

[Black Angel]

I am of two thoughts here..

1. You'd think that considering what happened to the first Titanic, that people would learn to just stay away.. I mean I wouldn't go on an aircraft named after or otherwise associated with the Hindenburg but that's just me..

2. Fools and money are easily parted. It looks like the same hubris that led to the Titanic's fate, is linked to this as well.. I mean, why would you think it is good idea to fire the expert after he makes his concerns known, and then skimp out on paying for the proper glass and equipment to handle that depth?

I hope the everyone on board survives and the company is shuttered and the CEO sued for everything he is worth.

 

[DrLeftover]

They paid a lot of money to go down and look at a mass grave.

And if they join that burial at sea, then somebody else will sell tickets to go look at them.

 

[DrLeftover]

BBC: "Debris from the missing Titan sub has been found in the search site, a friend of the passengers says

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-65967464

 

[DrLeftover]

OceanGate statement in full​

And here's the full statement from the company:
"We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.
These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.
This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organisations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.
We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families.
This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea.
We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time."

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-65967464

 

[Webster]

(The Guardian) OceanGate says they believe passengers on missing sub 'have sadly been lost'
Oceangate have released a statement saying that they believe the passengers of the Titan submersible have “sadly been lost,” CNN and BBC are reporting.

The statement reads: We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.

---

Here’s the full statement by OceanGate, as reported by the BBC: We now believe that our CEO Stockton Rush, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, have sadly been lost.

These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew.

This is an extremely sad time for our dedicated employees who are exhausted and grieving deeply over this loss. The entire OceanGate family is deeply grateful for the countless men and women from multiple organizations of the international community who expedited wide-ranging resources and have worked so very hard on this mission.

We appreciate their commitment to finding these five explorers, and their days and nights of tireless work in support of our crew and their families.

This is a very sad time for the entire explorer community, and for each of the family members of those lost at sea. We respectfully ask that the privacy of these families be respected during this most painful time.

 

[Webster]

(The Guardian) US Coast Guard confirms crew of Titan sub have died after 'catastrophic' event
Rear Adm John Mauger, the First Coast Guard District commander says a remotely operated vehicle from Horizon Arctic discovered the tail cone of the Titan sub approximately 1,600 feet from the bow of the Titanic on the seafloor. -- The debris is “consistent with a catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber”, he says. Upon this determination, we immediately notified the families on behalf of the United States Coast Guard and the entire unified command. I offer my deepest condolences to the families.

---

Rear Adm John Mauger says he hopes that this discovery provides some solace to the families of the crew on board the Titan sub during this difficult time.

He says the team have been in close contact with the British and French consuls general to ensure that they are fully apprised.

The US Coast Guard are “grateful for the rapid mobilisation of experts on the undersea search and rescue” and “incredibly grateful for this full spectrum of international assistance that’s been provided”. The ROVs will remain on scene and continue to gather information, he says.

---

Rear Adm John Mauger says it is an “incredibly complex” case and that the team is still working to develop the details for the timeline.

The ROVs are operating in a complex environment on the seafloor over two miles beneath the surface, he says.

 

[Black Angel]

Jesus Christ. R.I.P.

It really isn't all that complex though.

A billionaire and CEO thought they knew more than the experts (because $$$ = InTeLlIgEnCe and ExPeRtIsE) and ignored their warnings and fired the whistleblower and now 5 lives are lost.

How long before this happens again?

And I wonder if the CEO made sure that he (or his estate) couldn't be sued in the event of a tragedy like Elon Musk did with his toy rocket.. if not, then his estate will be hit hard.

Why is it so hard for these wealthy people to sit back and let the experts do the job? If they want to help the cause then they can fund the research and the equipment themselves and work in tandem with the actual experts themselves..

I really don't understand why they do these things..

 

[Webster]

Why is it so hard for these wealthy people to sit back and let the experts do the job?

Because at the end of the day if we did we'd still be in the caves waiting to take that first step.
Its' good to listen to the experts but there's also such as a thing as informed risk - every step you take, you have to consider not just the benefit, but the risk, not just you're own spot but where everyone is and act accordingly.

I mean, look at Covid; knowing what we know now three years on, an awful lot of people are now of the opinion that not only do the experts not know what they are doing but instead of telling me what I can't do, lay out the risks and then let the individual decide what's best for them to do.