Sub suffered electrical damage & had to be rebuilt BEFORE Titanic dive

OceanGate Expeditions sub suffered electrical damage and had to be rebuilt for not being able to withstand the deep ocean BEFORE it went missing on Titanic dive with five people on board

The Titan sub sustained damage to its electronics from lightning in 2018
In 2019 it had a problem with complying with Canadian maritime law limitations
The sub suffered further problems in 2020 and had to be completely rebuilt
READ MORE: MailOnline’s live coverage of missing submersible Titan

A submarine that is missing as it headed to the wreck of the Titanic suffered electrical damage and also had to be rebuilt for not being able to withstand the deep ocean before it was eventually able to start carrying wealthy tourists to the site.

OceanGate Expeditions started its dives to the Titanic in 2021 using its submersible named Titan, which is at the centre of a desperate search after going missing 12,500ft beneath the waves.

The company initially planned to use it for a trip to the Titanic in 2018 but this was abandoned after it sustained damage to its electronics from lightning. Then, in 2019, the voyage was postponed again because of a problem with complying with Canadian maritime law limitations on foreign flag vessels, according to technology news site GreekWire.

Then it suffered further problems in 2020 and had to be completely rebuilt after tests showed signs of ‘cyclic fatigue’ that reduced the hull’s depth rating to 3,000 meters, which was well short of what it required to get close to the Titanic.

The vessel, built of carbon fibre and titanium was originally designed to take five people to depths of 4,000 metres (13,123 feet).

OceanGate Expeditions started its dives to the Titanic in 2021 using its submersible named Titan, which is at the centre of a desperate search after going missing 12,500ft beneath the waves. Pictured is an interior view of the vessel

After detecting problems at how deep it could go OceanGate also announced at the time that it was working with NASA to ensure that it was strong enough to survive the ocean’s depths.

The company has been promoting its latest trip to the historic wreck on its website and through social media channels for the past few months, tantalising rich customers with the promise that they too can ‘follow’ in the footsteps of legendary diver Jacques Cousteau and become an ‘underwater explorer’ by going to see the Titanic.

Tickets to join the expedition cost an eye-watering £195,000.

The company was founded in 2009 by Stockton Rush, 61, who is also its CEO and is one five people on board the missing Titan.

It was on only its third trip since OceanGate began offering the ‘once in a lifetime’ trips to the Titanic and announced at the time that six would take place that year, which did not materialise.

Another took place in 2022 followed by this year’s doomed trip.

Since launching, OceanGate has taken wealthy tourists on a number of missions to deep sites mainly across the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico selling the trips not just as a top-end tourism activity but an opportunity to ‘assist’ its experts and benefit from the company’s experience of diving.

The tours are pitched to the same type of clients as space tourism: adventurous, curious, and extremely wealthy. They have included visits to shipwrecks in Elliot Bay, Seattle; exploring deep waters in California and carrying out a shark survey.

According to the company’s website, OceanGate has successfully completed more than 14 expeditions and more than 200 dives.

OceanGate currently owns and operates three five-person submersibles

The company was founded in 2009 by Stockton Rush, 61, (pictured) who is also its CEO and is one five people on board the missing Titan

OceanGate currently owns and operates three five-person submersibles. The first, Antipodes, could travel to a depth of 1,000 feet.

In 2012, the company acquired another submersible, and rebuilt it into Cyclops 1, a vessel that could travel to a depth of up to 1,640 feet. It served as a prototype for the newest submersible, the Titan.

Mr Rush is a qualified aerospace engineer and became the youngest jet transport rated pilot in the world aged just 19, according to the company’s website and obtained a degree in aerospace engineering from Princeton University three years later.

In 1984, he joined the McDonnell Douglas Corporation as a Flight Test Engineer on the F-15 fighter jet programme and also spent two years at Edwards Air Force Base working as part of the US Government’s anti-satellite missile programme.

He has personally built a Glasair III aircraft, and heavily modified a Kittredge K-350 two-man submersible, which has gone on over 30 dives to date.

He now oversees OceanGate’s financial and engineering strategies.

Mr Rush’s wife Wendy is director of Communications for OceanGate’s and an expedition team leader, according to her LinkedIn page.

The company is based in Everett, Washington State close to where the couple live.

Mr Rush runs OceanGate with four others in its leadership team, all of whom have extensive experience in technology, business and the maritime industry. He also sits on a board of directors which is made up of a retired Rear Admiral, a high-profile lawyer and other notable business figures from technology and maritime sectors.

TIMELINE OF MISSING SUBMERSIBLE TITAN

8am Sunday: Titan submerges around 900 miles east of Cape Cod

9.45am: Polar Prince expedition ship loses contact with the submersible

5.40pm: Coast Guard first alerted to the missing sub

9.13pm: Canadian Coast Guard alerted

Thursday at 8am: 96 hours of oxygen runs out

The company’s trips to the Titanic wreck in the Titan are its unique selling point, with wealthy customers lured by the promise that they will be part of a ‘scientific and technological survey’ of the site. Those who can afford the hefty price are referred to as ‘mission specialists’ or ‘citizen scientists’ with the company emphasising that they are not just there to view the wreck but participate in a ‘scientific study.’

Yet despite these claims to expertise and the dangers involved, those boarding the Titan must sign a waiver that states: ‘This experimental vessel has not been approved or certified by any regulatory body, and could result in physical injury, emotional trauma, or death.’

And despite the company’s experience of taking tourists into dangerous waters, the Titan is controlled by a reinforced PlayStation controller and only has one window for them to peer out of.

Wealthy passengers are not given any special training prior to departure and do not require diving qualifications but do need ‘basic agility’ so that they can climb a 10ft ladder and be able to stand on a chair.

The 22ft carbon fiber and titanium submersible also does not have a GPS system and uses Elon Musk’s Starlink to communicate with its mothership, MV Polar Prince because it is so far out to sea.

It is guided by text messages sent by a team above water. These are exchanged via a USBL (ultra-short baseline) acoustic system. The Titan ‘pings’ its location to the Polar Prince every 15 minutes the last of which was received while the submersible floated above the Titanic wreckage at about 3pm UK time on Sunday.

David Pogue, a CBS News Sunday correspondent, participated in an OceanGate expedition last year, and in November told of his experiences.

He said: ‘I couldn’t help noticing how many pieces of this sub seemed improvised, with off-the-shelf components.

‘Piloting the craft is run with a video game controller.’

The 22ft carbon fiber and titanium submersible also does not have a GPS system and uses Elon Musk’s Starlink to communicate with its mothership, MV Polar Prince because it is so far out to sea. Pictured is an OceanGate tourist submersible

The company is also prolific on social media as it boasts about its trips and ‘scientific’ work to the Titanic site. Pictures posted on Facebook show members of previous trips to the wreck while another claims: ‘We make sure to honour the Titanic’s legacy on each mission.’

The company has also posted testimonials from those who have participated in previous trips to the Titanic.

One from Aaron N, who went in 2021 said: ‘This is one of the most interesting and unique experiences I have ever had Less than 300 people have been down to the Titanic to see the wreck. Even diving to almost 4,000 metres in a submersible is an experience onto itself.’

Another reads: ‘OceanGate Expeditions makes you a full member of the crew and the experience allows you to participate in every aspect of the expedition.’

Source: Read Full Article