For a group of wealthy adventurers, it was the greatest voyage money could buy.
And the thrilling prospect of seeing the Titanic firsthand allayed any fears they had of diving two and a half miles into the frigid depths of the Atlantic in a submarine.
The supposedly “unsinkable” ship, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1912 and claimed the lives of 1,500 people, has long fascinated explorers.
But it was not until this decade that paying passengers had the opportunity to see the wreck of the Titanic with their own eyes – on a submarine ride.
At US$250,000 (£195,000) per seat, tickets don’t come cheap – and the so-called citizen explorers are expected to be no ordinary tourist, but to play an active role in the maritime heritage research mission.
A photo of OceanGate’s “Mission 3 and Mission 4 crews” that the company posted online before sailing
This is the latest sighting of the Titan submersible, which was launched on Sunday. It can be seen in a photo shared by Hamish Harding’s company. He and the four others on board remain missing
As OceanGate Expeditions, which has been operating the Titanic tours for the past three years, explained earlier this year, “We’re really inspired by.” [passengers’] A sense of adventure, amazing life experiences and a willingness to jump right in.’
It said this year’s Titanic Survey Expedition would allow “a select number of people to explore the ship that was once the pinnacle of opulence but whose voyage would end in tragedy.”
The research vehicle, dubbed Titan, is a miniature submarine believed to be the only carbon fiber submersible in the world that can submerge five people. A pilot, a “content expert” and three paying guests are said to have been brought to the bottom of the sea. The company is touting it as “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to “dive safely to the wreck of the Titanic” on a “12,500-foot journey to the bottom of the sea.”
The 22-foot submarine features a dome window at the front for guests to sit and enjoy the view. Behind are the pilot’s controls and the basic seating for the guests. A question-and-answer page on OceanGate Expeditions’ website urges passengers to “restrict their diet” prior to travel. However, for those who require a diet, there is a small toilet in the front dome, “the best seat in the house.”
Clients are told, “If money is no object and you don’t mind tight spaces,” they can join one of the trips.
Earlier discoverers included James Cameron, director of the 1997 Hollywood blockbuster Titanic, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, according to the company. OceanGate Expeditions, a US-based non-profit company, adds that it is dedicated to exploring the underwater world and offers “rare opportunities for citizen explorers and researchers to work together to advance our understanding of our home planet.”
With this in mind, last Friday, June 16, a group of about a dozen paying explorers set out from St. John’s Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada for the wild North Atlantic aboard the Polar Prince, the chartered vessel from which the submarine is launched. They sailed 350 miles to the wreck’s coordinates and were to spend eight days aboard the ship, taking turns completing the eight-hour submarine mission to Titanic.
Photos published online showed menacingly stormy gray seas and British billionaire Hamish Harding, 58, said it had been the “worst winter in 40 years”. As of 4 a.m. Sunday morning local time, there was reportedly a “weather window” and the submarine was launched. Mr Harding’s air carrier tweeted: ‘The sub had a successful launch and Hamish is currently diving.’ Stay tuned for more updates!’
OceanGate Expeditions is one of the few companies offering these tours. Tickets cost up to $250,000
A look at what it’s like to see the Titanic within the OceanGate Expedition
Titanic departs Southampton, UK on her first and last voyage on April 10, 1912
A view of the wreck of the Titanic from the submersible
OceanGate had said ahead of the voyage, “Our crew have carefully prepared our gear and updated our checklists for the Titanic Expedition 2023, but we always expect new challenges.”
“We’re lucky to have chartered an icebreaker as an expedition ship!” “The Polar Prince…has a long history of clearing ports of ice and guiding ships through ice-covered marine environments.”
The submarine, which has been aloft for 96 hours, is designed to surface automatically when it gets into trouble and maintain contact with the surface ship via an internet connection powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink system. However, contact was lost an hour and 45 minutes into Mr. Harding’s mission.