The missing sub currently lost in the Atlantic Ocean had so many red flags prior to its excursion, that its fate was not a matter of if but when it would fail.
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Although the exterior of the missing sub was created using carbon fiber coated in titanium, the interior left much to be desired. The makeshift parts inside included rusted copper pipes taken from a construction site, lights from an old camper, and a modified video game controller as its only steering mechanism.
The submersible was designed to run on battery power, which, unfortunately, failed on multiple previous occasions (as did its communication system). Additionally, passengers were warned to dress in thermal clothing and required to sign a waiver acknowledging that the vessel was “experimental” and that the risk of death was high.
CBS correspondent David Pogue was one of those prior passengers who signed up for the excursion as part of a segment he filmed for CBS News. To do so, he effectively had to sign his life away.
“So everybody doing this goes in with their eyes wide open that this is an experimental vessel,” Pogue said. “The waiver says ‘This vessel has not been inspected or certified by any government body.’ So you know very well that it is a one-of-a-kind vessel.
“They use rusty construction pipes as ballast,” Pogue said while admitting he felt “petrified” the night before the dive. “I remember that you are sealed into the sub from the outside. There are 18 bolts around the hatch, and the crew bolts you in from the outside. The sub is made from a carbon fiber cylinder, so the walls are curved. So you sit there on the floor with your back against the curved wall. It holds 5 people comfortably as long as they alternate back, feet, back, feet, you know what I mean?
“But as you dive, it gets colder and colder and colder,” he continued. “And so, they instruct you to wear layers and bring winter jackets and ski socks because you don’t wear shoes onto the sub. It’s also probably worth mentioning that there is no real toilet on board. There is a pee bottle and a set of Ziploc bags. That’s relevant because on the day of, you have a sandwich and a bottle of water, and that’s it. Because they don’t expect this dive to take more than 10 or 12 hours.”
Pogue went on to explain that on the day of his excursion, the Titan sub lost power and all communication while it was underwater and the entire dive had to be scrubbed. In fact, he never made it anywhere near the wreckage of the Titanic. Although the owner offered Pogue a free “do-over” trip, the journalist declined due to the myriad of safety issues he encountered.
Sixty-year-old Arthur Loibl made the trip in August of 2021 and spoke of the risks he faced.
“I was incredibly lucky,” Loibl said. “It was a suicide mission back then. The first submarine didn’t work, then a dive at 1,600 meters had to be abandoned.” He added that the submersible finally launched 5 hours late after a series of electrical issues.
“You need strong nerves, you mustn’t be claustrophobic and you have to be able to sit cross-legged for 10 hours,” he said of the special kind of human it takes to agree to such an excursion. “It must be hell down there. There’s only 2.50 meters of space, it’s 4 degrees [fahrenheit], there’s no chair, no toilet.”
Retired rear admiral Chris Parry of the British Royal Navy questioned the logic behind those who dared to enter the missing sub.
“Why on earth you would go in a dodgy piece of technology where you actually have to sign away any right to sue the company for emotional damage, injury, and death is beyond me,” Parry wondered. “It is fundamentally dangerous, there was no backup plan, it’s experimental and I’m afraid to say there’s an element of hubris if you want to go down and do that.”
This week, multiple nations joined the US Navy and the US Coast Guard in an attempt to find and rescue the missing sub. However, it appears time may have run out.
According to reports, the submersible was expected to exhaust all onboard oxygen sources by 7am EDT today, which has now passed. In order to save it, rescuers first needed to find the missing vessel, lower a remote vehicle to a depth of approx. 12,500 feet (which would have taken 3 hours), use a robotic arm to attach a tether to the missing sub, then lift it to the surface of the ocean (which would have taken another 3 hours). Finally, they would have had to remove the 17 bolts that sealed the airtight door and hoped the passengers inside were still alive.
Although it’s possible the vessel had more oxygen than originally estimated or that some miracle kept the passengers alive, the eventual outcome of this saga now appears to be grim.
“[I] think about the people who’ve been down there since Sunday,” Pogue said. “It is freezing cold. They apparently have no power because remember, we lost communication with them. So they have no light. So it’s blacker than black. It is the darkest you can possibly imagine at the bottom of the sea. And they have no food or water. But the problem is, to my knowledge, there’s no way to rescue them. You can’t help them out of this submersible. You would have to bring the entire submersible back to the surface.”
Pogue added: “I’m praying for a miracle, but I think it would be a long shot.”
Retired Adm. Parry was far more direct and predicted that without an emitting signal from the Titan, it will be “impossible” to find the vessel.
“Obviously, we want to remain hopeful and optimistic but there are 2 problems here — one is actually finding the thing and secondly is how on earth are you going to get it off the seabed. It’s never been done before and I don’t think anybody’s got any ideas about how to do it at the moment.”
Parry added: “I’m afraid the odds are vanishingly small.
Our thoughts are with the missing sub, its passengers, and their families.
OK WASSUP! discusses the Top News Today:
The missing sub has run out of oxygen.
The missing sub currently lost in the Atlantic Ocean had so many red flags PRIOR to its excursion, that its fate was Not a matter of if but WHEN it would Fail. […] – DJ
And let the Church say AMEN!