OceanGate Expeditions has conducted two successful missions to the site of the Titanic wreck in the Atlantic – one in 2021 and the second in 2022. This year, however, the Titanic Expedition has taken a potentially tragic turn – the OceanGate submersible carrying five people to the site of the historic shipwreck vanished on Sunday. Contact with the submersible was lost only an hour and 45 minutes into its dive off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Rescuers are now racing against time to locate the submersible, named Titan, before its oxygen supply runs out at approximately 6 am on Thursday.
On its website, OceanGate Expeditions says that its 8-day mission to the Titanic site helps document the condition of the wreck with high-definition photographs and video, supplement the work done on previous scientific expeditions and document the site’s flora and fauna to assess changes over time.
Even with tickets retailing for half a million dollars, there are plenty of takers for the risky expedition. The missing submersible for this year’s Titanic Expedition was carrying on board one of Pakistan’s wealthiest men, his teenaged son, a renowned Titanic expert, a world-record holding adventurer and the CEO of OceanGate Expeditions himself.
Here is what happens during OceanGate Expedition’s 8-day mission to view the historic Titanic shipwreck:
Tourists who have purchased a spot on the expedition are known as mission specialists. On Day 1, they arrive at the seaside city of St. John’s in Canada to board the vessel that takes them to the site of the shipwreck.
The submersible that dives to the wreck is also kept on this vessel.
On Day 2, expedition leaders go over important safety information and dive day logistics. Diving to the actual site of the wreck may begin as early as on Day 3, depending upon weather conditions and other logistics.
“Living on the expedition vessel is very different from going on a vacation cruise, but some things are similar. All your meals will be provided by the ship’s galley. You will have a stateroom and access to a bathroom with a shower,” OceanGate Expeditions warns.
Day 3 is usually when the dive to the wreck site begins. The dive takes place in the special submersible, known as Titan, which has been constructed to withstand the immense pressure in the deep ocean. The submersible can seat up to five people, including the pilot, and dive to 4,000 meters deep.
Titan is the only deep diving sub with a toilet.
The day of the dive begins early with final dive checks on the back deck. The crew then heads to the bridge for a pre-dive meeting.
A Titanic dive takes 10 hours from start to finish.
The dome of the submersible closes once all mission specialists have boarded it.
The submersible launches from the Launch and Recovery Platform (LARS).
The descent begins. It takes about 2.5 hours to reach the bottom.
Dive team explores the Titanic wreck for 4.5 hours, depending on conditions.
After that, the ascent to surface begins which again takes 2.5 hours.
Submersible recovered to the expedition vessel. Dome opens and mission specialists exit the submersible.
Once on deck, the dive team is welcomed by expedition crew.
The same process is followed on all days of the dive. On Day 7, the vessel begins moving back towards St John’s.
Day 8 marks the end of the expedition when the entire crew reaches St John’s in Newfoundland.
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