Details are emerging about the submersible that went missing in the Atlantic Ocean while carrying five passengers — one of whom shared a haunting text message with a friend before the expedition.
Titan, OceanGate Expedition’s five-man submersible,went missingon Sunday while underwater in the area of theTitanicwreckage in the North Atlantic, officials said.
Alamy Stock Photo
“Hey, we’re headed out tomorrow, it looks good, the weather’s been bad so they’ve been waiting for this,” the 58-year-old billionaire wrote, according to Virts, who said his friend undoubtedly “understood the risks” of the dangerous adventure.
Billionaire British businessman Hamish Harding.Alamy Stock Photo
“We talked quite a bit about the risks and the different things that they were going to be able to do,” Virts explained on the program, per thePost. “So he was very excited about it.”
Action Activationhas confirmedthat Harding, who serves as its chairman, was aboard the missing vessel. On Sunday, the company shared a tweet that said the sub“had a successful launch”at 4 a.m., but confirmed the search and rescue efforts in a subsequent press release.
“We are thankful for the continued efforts of authorities and companies that have stepped in to aid in the rescue efforts,” the statement says. “We put great faith and trust in their expertise.”
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OceanGate’s websitesays theTitan’s “innovative use of modern materials” make it “more cost efficient” than any other kind of deep-diving submersible.
The company says theTitanwas constructed with “a combination of ground-breaking engineering and off-the-shelf technology” that gives the vessel a “unique advantage over other deep diving subs," per the site.
“The use off-the-shelf components helped to streamline the construction, and makes it simple to operate and replace parts in the field,” the company adds.
Among those items have been a Logitech game controller, which Rush showed in an interview withCBS Sunday Morningthat aired in November 2022.
“We run the whole thing with this game controller,” Rush said while holding up the pad.
Dives down toTitaniccost $250,000 per person, according toCBS Sunday Morning. Rush claimed that some people have gone as far as to mortgage their home for a chance to see the wreckage fromTitan.
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.OceanGate
OceanGate
Shahzada and Suleman were “on a journey to visit the remnants of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean” when theTitandisappeared, their family said in a statement to the BBC.
“As of now, contact has been lost with their submersible craft and there is limited information available,” they added.
source: people.com
