OceanGate submarine that imploded during the expedition. Photo credit: Disclosure
The tragedy common to the story of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the implosion of the submarine Titan, which left on a tourist expedition to the wreckage of the ship last Sunday (18), hides another similar factor: recklessness . Just as Captain Edward John Smith ignored information about the presence of an iceberg on the route and took the famous ship to the wreck, OceanGate Expeditions management was warned more than once about the “catastrophic” safety issues on the submersible and, despite this, kept going .
A report by the company’s thendirector of maritime operations, suggesting that passenger lives could be at risk if the prototype reached “extreme depths,” was ignored, even costing him his resignation. According to the Associated Press, David Lochridge’s verbal warnings were also ignored. He warned his superiors that flaws in the Titan’s carbon fiber hull could go unnoticed without more rigorous testing.
The wreck of the Titanic lies at a depth of 3,800 meters, in an area of the ocean known as the “midnight zone” because it is so deep that it does not receive sunlight. The company stated that the Titan could descend to a depth of 4,000 meters, but David disagreed, stating that the viewing window only allowed a descent of 1,300 meters.
Infographic shows details of Titan submarine. Photo credits: Quintino Andrade/ Arte CORREIO*
The cause of the implosion is not yet known, nor how the investigation will proceed, as there are no logs of such cases involving a submersible. US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John Mauger said the governments of the countries involved in the incident are meeting to discuss how this investigation should be conducted.
Among the passengers were two Pakistanis, one British, one American and one French. The cost of a ticket for a seat on the submarine is $250,000, which is R$1.2 million at current prices.
Expeditions to unusual places have become increasingly common among the superrich. Businessman and explorer Hamish Harding, one of the victims of the implosion, had taken part in the flight into suborbital space in 2022 with Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ company. This trip cost about 6 million R$. Harding’s social networks bring pictures of several adventures involving planes, missiles and ships.
Stockton Rush, 61, is the submersible pilot and founder and CEO of OceanGate. The company was founded in 2009 and has conducted additional dives on the wreck of the Titanic over the past two years. In total there have been more than 12 underwater expeditions since 2010. According to his biography on the company’s website, Rush became the world’s youngest jet transport pilot in 1981 at the age of 19.
PaulHenry Nargeolet is a 77yearold retired French Navy commander. He is the head of underwater research for a media and exhibition company with which he is affiliated. As an expert on the sinking of the ship, he assisted his friend and Canadian filmmaker James Cameron in the 1997 film Titanic.
Incidentally, James was shocked by the news and spoke about how similar the accidents were. “I am struck by the resemblance to the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned of ice ahead of his ship and yet he sailed at full speed across an ice field on a moonless night and many died as a result.” It’s a very similar tragedy in the exact same place.”
After all, the last two crew members are part of one of Pakistan’s most important entrepreneurial families in the industrial sector. Businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, was dating his son Suleman, just 19.
The billionaire sat on several charitable boards, including those associated with King Charles III. of Great Britain. According to a family statement, their son loved science fiction books and also played volleyball. Although he was interested in the subject, he was afraid to join the expedition, and only to please his father because, according to his aunt, he had fallen in love with the story of Titanic.
“I have a feeling you got into a really bad countdown movie, but you didn’t know what to expect. Personally, it’s kind of hard for me to breathe when I think about her,” Azmeh Dawood told NBC.
Meet the victims of the tragedy:
Stockton Rush Managing Director and cofounder of OceanGate, a company that operates liveaboards for offshore exploration and tourism.
Hamish Harding Billionaire, President of Action Aviation, a company specializing in aerospace services. You have traveled into space.
Paul Henry Nargeolet Former commander of the French Navy and considered the leading expert on the sinking of the Titanic.
Shahzada Dawood Vice President of Engro Corporation, one of the largest conglomerates in Pakistan investing in multiple sectors.
Suleman Dawood Filho The Pakistani tycoon was only 19 years old and, according to his aunt, was very scared and did not want to go down with the submarine.