Deep-sea research company OceanGate Expeditions, recently made the news when their self-designed submersible, "Titan," took five souls in June this year to visit the RMS Titanic wreckage but was lost when it imploded just above the iconic ocean line on the sea floor. It was a solemn moment to reflect on the depths (pun intended) wealthy individuals use their money for extreme and high-risk tourism adventures. This includes climbing mountains with inclement weather (like ascending Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro), kayaking in crocodile-infested rivers (in the Congo for example), or seeing great white sharks up close in a diver's cage. While it can provide life-changing thrills, sometimes these environments push back and can kill the tourists themselves. Is it time to end this industry? Or should we have better regulation and safety standards?
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The world was taken in by the drama unfolding 2.5 miles beneath the surface this past June when the OceanGate Expeditions DSV (deep sea vehicle) "Titan" suddenly and without warning stopped communicating with this mother ship on its descent to the legendary wreck at the ocean floor. Simultaneously, the DSV ended its ability to "ping" its position on its way down to RMS Titanic. One train of thought discussed by national media is that the submersible lost power and nose-dived toward the ocean floor and that those inside were aware of their impending deaths. Media around the world immediately picked up the story and kept it in the headlines, breathlessly detailing the amount of oxygen the 5 men inside (billionaire Hamish Harding, French ocean explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, Pakistani businessmen Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman and OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush) had left for rescue before they would perish.
Sadly, the United States Navy heard what sounded like an underwater explosion near the location of the shipwreck, through a very secret but sophisticated underwater listening system around the time the Titan lost contact. The Navy gave that information to the United States Coast Guard, which withheld this information for four days. National media reported that rumors of "banging sounds" emanating from underwater gave some people hope that Titan's occupants were still alive. Director James Cameron, who helmed the mega-successful film adaptation of the Titanic's maiden voyage, which captured the hearts of old and new followers, was upset that the Navy and the Coast Guard did not make public the explosion heard underwater earlier than they did. I am under the impression that it was kept from the public because the Coast Guard wanted to ensure everything was done to search and determine if anyone survived. Once debris from the submersible was found on the ocean floor, families of those aboard were notified of their deaths.
The submersible from OceanGate Expeditions was made with different materials, such as carbon fiber unlike what was generally used before after extensive research, such as aluminum, steel, and titanium. The window from which to view outside was also more prominent than on most submersibles. Previous guests commented on their experiences, including details of parts falling off on dives, and hearing troubling noises during their descent. A New York Post article (Sedacca) this month commented on the need for following industry-accepted protocols for this type of submersible operation within the company. It was stated in various media publications that the most likely issue that caused the submersible to implode was its carbon fiber shell, which was the central location of the submersible where its occupants sat. Over repeated dives to depths with extreme pounds per square inch (PSI), it eventually forced the material to crack and cause immense pressure to kill everyone inside in a millisecond.
Another July 2023 article (Bekiempis) in the same month in The Guardian, gave credence to those prior travelers through an interview with Rob McCallum, a veteran submersible expert. He had taken a few dives with OceanGate Expeditions vessels and felt Mr. Rush had a 'cavalier' attitude regarding his company's mission and its previous trips to the wreck. The Guardian also mentioned in a separate New Yorker article this year that Mr. McCallum, along with prominent members of the deep sea exploration community, tried to give their thoughts on the company's underwater vessels and stated that the government and OceanGate Expeditions did not heed or listen to their opinions and concerns. The general theme of their complaints was that the company was attempting to be innovative by using cheaper materials and "crude designs" that had not been tested for depth pressure resistance and licensed and approved by their peers. The article stated that Rob McCallum was asked to be part of the designing and testing of the company's new submersibles, but he opted out because of the flaws in their designs, materials, and lack of redundancy for its safety features. The company's CEO felt their design tech and sourcing of materials was innovation in progress.
Stockton Rush did not want to have his vessel reviewed and inspected by respected industry groups and individuals who could rate and license his craft. He seemed to dislike their input and even fired a former employee who exposed design flaws in the submersible. Mr. Rush felt his haphazard levels of "innovation" which he believed were required to buck the system, saw their feedback as a threat to his "breaking the rules to change the game" mantra in my opinion.
Of those on the submersible that perished, many focused on the deaths of Shazada Dawood and Hamish Harding, primarily due to the wealth of the two men and also the young age of Mr. Dawood's 19-year-old son, Suleman. I think wealthy individuals who want to experience things that can be thrilling, along with the rush of danger are a strong allure. If their wealth allows them to do that with no harm or risk outside of themselves, so be it. However, outside of Mr. Rush and explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, the others did not fully grasp what they were getting into. To see the final resting place of a legendary ocean liner, with a story and tragedy that has gripped the imaginations of millions around the world for more than a century was too good to pass up. What a real shame that Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Dawood did not have an understanding of the type of vessel they were going to be in, and probably did not have access to warnings and complaints from Stockton Rush's peers.
The occupants in the vessel would not have entered the sub (where they were sealed in with screws) if they had been aware of the submersible's design and issues. Or, perhaps they did know the risks but decided to go down to the Titanic anyway because the chance to see the shipwreck up close was greater than any fear of the DSV operating at a frightening depth beneath the surface. I had read that Suleman Dawood was allegedly petrified to enter the Titan but went ahead with his participation anyway, to make his father happy. That is truly tragic if that were the case.
The main issue at hand is that wealth does not protect us from the elements or outer limits. The manta of "Life is Short," combined with the thrills and indelible memories is a tempting mix for the elite, especially in the social media age. Ego and narcissism are a deadly combination of this type of extreme tourism. The late Stockton Rush was not the first (or the last) wealthy explorer who engaged in extreme tourism. Wealthy businessmen such as Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon's Blue Origin) are currently using their money to focus on space tourism, while Elon Musk's SpaceX focuses on private funding for space exploration, satellite delivery, and transporting astronauts to the international space station. Perhaps down the road, he will charge wealthy tourists as well. Eventually, potential tragedies could affect the tourism companies that these men created. Careful planning and putting safety first rather than profits should lower the threshold for failure and loss of human life.
OceanGate Expeditions learned tragically that while innovation can include cost-effectiveness, with less expensive but potentially stronger materials, it requires countless years of testing, including failure, and as mentioned earlier, peer approval and licensing. This is especially true for fields such as aviation, aeronautical engineering, and deep-sea oil exploration, which require rigorous regulation and stringent guidelines. Going the rugged, do-it-yourself route can have some romantic and underdog appeal, but it should never supersede safety. Survival is paramount. The deaths of the five aboard, along with the hubris of the late Stockton Rush and OceanGate Expeditions, found out the hard way. Exploration through the sea, hypersonic flight, space exploration, etc., when you test the limits, while it can be exhilarating if you are not careful, sometimes those limits push back with deadly consequences.
Agree that there should be regulation regarding safety in the vehicles used in these forays beyond the new frontiers. If demonstrated, tourism of this sort will be more accessible and appealing even for the less adventurous wealthy individuals or groups. Perhaps we can also learn from these experiences and nature.
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