Since the Titanic was first discovered at the North Atlantic Oceans seabed in 1985, less than 250 have seen it. However, a few citizen explorers are planning to make the two-mile trek down the Titanic next year.
OceanGate Expeditions announced on Tuesday its second annual expedition to the wreck, which will see ‘mission specialists,’ along with researchers, survey the massive ship while inside the company’s submersible Titan.
The Titanic Expedition is conducted as a series of eight-day missions starting in May and ending in June, and each seat costs $250,000 – a $125,000 increase from the previous year.
Aaron Newman, OceanGate Expeditions Mission Specialist during the 2021 trip, said in a statement: ‘It was something out of Discovery Channel or National Geographic. It was surreal, amazing.
‘This is one of the most interesting and unique experiences I have ever had. Fewer than 200 people have visited the Titanic or seen its wreckage in 110 years.
‘Even diving to almost 4,000 meters [13,123 feet]A submersible can be an amazing experience. That’s what life is about.’
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OceanGate Expeditions announced on Tuesday its second annual expedition to the wreck, which will see ‘Mission specialists,’ along with researchers, survey the massive ship while inside the company’s submersible Titan.
Citizens explorers (or mission specialists) will embark on their expedition by sailing from St John’s, Newfoundland to Canada’s Titanic shipwreckage.
OceanGate Expeditions will then use its five-manned carbon fiber and titanium Cyclops-class submersible to transport archaeologists and the mission specialists to the wreck – the craft takes up to three mission specialists on each dive that lasts from eight to 10 hours.
The Titan submersible is outfitted with the latest camera technologies to capture ultra-high-resolution imagery that will help determine the wreck’s rate of decay and assess the marine life that dwell on the wreck.
P.H. Nargeolet, veteran Nautile submersible pilot and mission specialist of the 2021 expedition, said in a statement: ‘You have a lot of room inside the Titan submersible.
The 2021 Expedition mission specialists are pictured with a photo intron of Titan’s submersible to their right. From left are mission specialist David Raud, OceanGate’s Stockton Rush and mission specialists Doug Jackson, Bridget Buxton and Aaron Newman
The Titan submersible is outfitted with the latest camera technologies to capture ultra-high-resolution imagery that will help determine the wreck’s rate of decay and assess the marine life that dwell on the wreck
The Titan’s interior is shown here, where the crew sits as they descend to the North Atlantic Ocean.
‘We can have five people in the sub and there is a big view port. The sub is very well done, it is simple and easy to pilot, and there is a lot of innovation in Titan.’
The Titanic, which was called the ‘unsinkable ship,’ went down on April 14, 1912, four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York.
A huge ship collided against an iceberg, and 1,517 passengers and crew died.
Last year’s OceanGate expedition recorded fragments of floor tile and other debris from the luxury liner, along with studied marine life found on this artificial reef and drafted a GIS map of the artifacts also found on the Titanic.
The Titanic, which was called the ‘unsinkable ship,’ sank on April 14, 1912, four days into its voyage from Southampton to New York. The giant ship collided with an iceberg and in the end 1,517 of the 2,224 passengers and crew aboard were left dead
The wreckage was not discovered until 1985, and the bow and the stern of the boat, which split in two as it was sinking. Pictured left is an image of the anchor
Mission specialists at left and right capture the iconic image of the Titanic’s bow
The citizen explorers, or mission specialists, will begin their adventure by sailing on the expedition vessel from St John’s in Newfoundland, Canada, to the site of the Titanic wreckage, located 370 miles away
One civilian participating in the venture called the six-figure price tag a bargain, relatively speaking
‘Somebody paid $28 million to go with Blue Origin to space, not even the moon,’ Renata Rojas, of Hoboken, New Jersey, told The Columbian. ‘This is cheap in comparison.’
OceanGate has raised more than $18 million from investors to develop the vessel and bring the expedition to fruition.
‘Over the past 30 years I have completed more than 30 dives to the Titanic. The bow is the most exciting part of the Titanic to see,’ Nargeolet said in a recent statement.
‘Year after year I have seen a lot of deterioration. It isn’t going faster, but you can see more of the inside of the ship as the wreck decays. Also, the mast has fallen down on the well deck.
‘When you see the wreck with your own eyes it is very different than seeing it through an ROV camera. You need to see it with your own eyes.’
OceanGate last year collected floor tile fragments and other materials from the luxury liner. It also examined marine life and prepared a GIS mapping of artifacts that were found elsewhere on the Titanic. This telemotor was part of the Titanic’s steering system
However, it has been controversial to continue trips to the famous wreck. Many experts think that rescue missions and other expeditions have occurred over many decades.
Continued trips to the world’s most famous shipwreck have stirred controversy: experts believe salvage missions and other expeditions over the decades — including filmmaker James Cameron’s famed dive in 2001 — have further weakened the integrity of the 108-year-old hull.
There has been significant degradation to the promenade and deck from craft landing on the wreck. Cameron’s expedition was responsible for some of this damage. During Cameron’s expedition, a submersible came into contact with the ship’s shell.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the ship’s structure and hull will likely collapse within 40 years.
Lookout: Official inquiry: Could binoculars have saved Titanic?
David Blair (pictured), was an accomplished sailor
Fred Fleet, a US lookout, stated that he used glasses on RMS Oceanic (another trans-Atlantic liners) during the US official inquiry into the sinking.
The inquiry was chaired by Senator Smith. Fleet asked: “Suppose that you had glasses… Could you have seen the black object?” [the iceberg]Are you at a longer distance?
Fleet said, “We could’ve seen it sooner.”
When asked if he could speak sooner, he replied: ‘Well, enough to get out of the way.When asked if he could speak faster, he replied: “Well, enough to make it out of my way.”
Aldridge, in Mr Blair’s defense, said: “Blair would be rushing to fix his loose ends before then.
“In his hurry, he forgot to give the key. The fate of Titanic was now in his hands.
“But you need to blame the captain EJ Smith. EJ Smith had given warnings that the ship was heading too fast into an ice field.
He added: “There was a pair on the bridge, and another pair at the crows nest. Blair just had them a few days ago.”
Lightoller may not have known where the watchers were, but it could be blamed for Lightoller failing to send them lookouts.
“He would have discovered them if he had been able open the locker.” In the end, all they had to look for were their eyes.