The submersible that took passengers to tour the Titanic disappears
A submersible that was taking tourists to the Titanic wreck on the seabed disappeared this Monday (19). Next, understand how that Titanic ExpeditionTrip managed by Ocean Gate company.
The Titanic Ruins Tour costs US$250,000 (R$1.19 million) per person. The ship can accommodate up to five people, usually one pilot and four tourists. However, it is not yet known how many passengers were in the vehicle that disappeared on Monday.
The journey takes 10 days, the first two of which on a large boat that takes passengers to the wreck site. The route starts off the coast of Newfoundland (map below) in Canada and travels 600km across the Atlantic Ocean. Once in place, the submersible takes about eight hours to reach the wreck, which lies at a depth of 3,800 meters.
1 of 1 The Titanic expedition ship has a disembarkation point in Canada Photo: Reproduction The Titanic expedition ship has a disembarkation point in Canada Photo: Reproduction
According to Ocean Gate, 18 expeditions to the wreck site were planned in 2023. The trips were sold after the company had successful dives in 2021 and 2022.
In an interview with the American television channel CBS in early 2023, the company’s president Stockton Rush stated that tourists who pay for the trip are passionate about the history of Titanic or very rich people.
In the same report shown by CBS, reporter David Pogue, who was invited to the trip, reads the terms he had to sign before boarding, including the information that the trip will be conducted in “a pilot submersible” that is neither chartered nor certified to do so result in physical, mental or fatal harm.” No precise information is available on the conditions signed by the passengers of the missing submersible.
How is the dive boat?
Made of carbon fiber and titanium, the ship is called Titan and was made exclusively for Ocean Gate. The space is minimal, similar to that of a large car, it features a small room that serves as a bathroom and is operated by a controller that looks a lot like a video game controller.
In the report shown by CBS, Pogue also describes that “some parts of the submersible seem improvised.” After three attempts on different days (cancelled for safety reasons), Pogue and the other crew manage to reach the wreck (see the report in English below).
New Titanic video shows details of sunken ship in high definition