Titanic submarine search: What is it like inside the missing sub Titan?
A rescue operation is underway in the North Atlantic after a submarine visiting the wreck of HMS Titanic disappeared with five people on board.
OceanGate Expeditions is offering missions to view the wreckage of the luxury liner that sank in 1912 and was not rediscovered until 1985 – priced at US$250,000 (£195,000) per person. The company confirmed Monday that its submarine was lost at sea and a search is underway for the vessel involving the Canadian and Boston Coast Guards.
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The Titan makes his descent
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Titanic’s resting place is about 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at a depth of about 12,500 feet below the surface. Excursions to her usually require a two-hour descent.
The missing OceanGate ship is the Titan, a narrow metal cylinder housing four passengers and a pilot.
Measurement 22 feet long, 9.2 feet wide and 8.3 feet highThe sub features an aerospace-grade carbon fiber hull with titanium hemispheres at each end, and a fiberglass hull insert to protect passengers and electronics from condensation.
A real-time monitoring system provides an ongoing analysis of the effects of changing pressure on the hull as the craft descends deeper and deeper into the ocean for safety reasons.
The ship weighs a total of 10,432 kg and can cruise at a top speed of three knots, made possible by four Innerspace 1002 electric engines.
The tourists and scientists who usually ride along can look outside through a large viewing window. Your perspective is enhanced by outdoor Sub C Imaging 4k Rayfin cameras that capture the surrounding marine environment in a live feed displayed on a large digital display.
The Titan ship has disappeared with five people on board
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Inside there is little in the way of comfort, but there is a toilet, however privacy is limited as it is right next to the viewing window.
Most amazingly, the vehicle is controlled by a generic video game controller — one, to be precise Logitech F710 Wireless PC Gamepad according to gaming expert Matthew Ruddle in 2011 — and instead of using a GPS to navigate, it communicates with an on-site tracking team via text messages.
A clip from a CBS Sunday morning Featurette on the November 2022 submarine that went viral in the wake of this week’s disaster shows OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush cheerfully pointing out handles on the top of the boat, which he claims he bought from Camper World but denies that the ship was “MacGyvered” or “jerry-rigged”.
“There are no switches and things to bump into, we have a button to turn it on,” Mr Rush told reporter David Pogue.
“Everything else is done via touchscreens and computers, so you really become part of the vehicle and everyone gets to know everyone pretty well.”
An interior view of the submersible used to visit the wreck of HMS Titanic
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The Titan was reportedly built with the help of a team of engineering consultants from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, who provided advice during the development phase.
Speaking to GB News on Tuesday morning, David Scott-Beddard, Chairman of the British Titanic Society, detailed how unique the company’s offering is, stating: “The OceanGate Titan, this dedicated submersible, is the only one that is currently commercially viable .” Deployment capable of taking passengers to the wreck… It is one of only five submersibles capable of reaching this depth.”
Similarly, G Michael Harris, a Titanic specialist expedition leader who said he previously worked with the wrecked Titan’s pilot, told Jesse Waters on Fox News, “More people have been in space than at this depth of the ocean and when you.” .” When diving in situations like this, you have to cross your fingers, you have to have everything absolutely perfect and stick to the regulations… Add to that a bunch of tourists and a new submarine that’s popped up in recent years emerged…it doesn’t look good.”
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The experience of being a passenger on the Titan was recounted by New Yorker Mike Reiss, who said he made three dives with it BBC breakfast that the submarine “is a beautifully designed ship, I can’t belittle it, but it’s meant to go deeper than any other ship can go… When it’s all the way down, I don’t know how anyone will fare.” able to access it, let alone recall it.
He continued, “The phrase we keep hearing is ‘You’ve lost communications’ and I have to say I’ve done three different dives, one dive to the Titanic and two more off the coast of New York, and each one Sometimes they lost.” Communication.
“And that’s not to say it’s a bad ship or anything. It’s just that this is a whole new technology and you’ll learn it over time.
“You have to remember the early days of the space program or aviation, when you just made a lot of mistakes trying to figure out what you’re doing.”
