Two years after the Oceangate disaster killed five people, a billionaire is planning to visit the Titanic wreck, 12,500 feet below the North Atlantic Ocean
Two years after the OceanGate Titan sub disaster claimed five lives, a billionaire is gearing up to visit the Titanic wreck, nestled 12,500 feet beneath the North Atlantic Ocean.
According to the New York Post, the venture is projected to cost around $10 million.
Since the Titan sub implosion, no one has ventured to the depths of the Titanic shipwreck, a British passenger liner that met its tragic end in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg on its inaugural journey. Until now. The specifics of the mission are still a secret, but the billionaire embarking on the journey is a well-known figure who’d like to announce the trip on their own.
The company overseeing the deep-sea dive revealed that it would be the famous figure would become the first to venture there since the catastrophe.
Patrick Leahy, the CEO of Triton Submarines, shared that his company is currently crafting a new, commercially available submersible capable of enduring the trip to view the wreckage.
“Besides it being a wreck of historical significance, the fact that it lies at such great depth makes it fascinating to visit,” Patrick Lahey, CEO of Triton Submarines, told The Post.
Taking a submersible trip that deep requires a hefty sum, making it an exclusive venture for the ultra-wealthy. Only a select few billionaires, including the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Wall Street tycoon Ray Dalio, and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, have been known to have owned their own submersibles.
Because of the price of the trip, it’s thought that the individuals on the submersible were left with no other options to pursue their interests. Building submersibles can cost tens of millions, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush was one of the few offering an ‘affordable’ version.
Recent reports revealed that the “enthusiastic” British billionaire, who was among the five people killed on a journey to the Titanic wreck, also saw the ill-fated Titan submersible as his “only option” to visit the iconic site.
Hamish Harding, an adventurer with three Guinness World Records under his belt, including one for the longest duration at full ocean depth by a crewed vessel, tragically died on June 18, 2023.
He was one of four passengers aboard the OceanGate Titan submersible, along with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, when the submarine catastrophically imploded in the Atlantic’s depths.
Experts had warned that the Titan’s hull could implode under the intense pressure at such extreme depths, leading to immediate death for anyone on board. Deep-sea expedition leader and consultant Rob McCallum had advised Mr. Harding against boarding the Titan due to these safety concerns.
McCallum had urged Stockton Rush to cease using the Titan submarine until it had been independently certified as safe. Despite numerous email exchanges, OceanGate threatened legal action over these claims, leading McCallum to sever ties with the company.
While OceanGate Expeditions, the owner and operator of the craft, boasted about the Titan’s spacious cylinder-shaped cabin made of carbon fiber, industry experts argue it was this departure from the sphere-shaped cabins made of titanium used by most submersibles, that sealed the group’s fate.
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