O/T
Article from 2020
OceanGate raises $18M to build a bigger submersible fleet and set up Titanic tripshttps://www.geekwire.com/2020/oceangate-raises-18m-build-bigger-submersible-fleet-get-set-titanic-trips/OceanGate will take advantage of lessons learned during the construction of its carbon-hulled Titan submersible, which was originally built for Titanic journeys. Rush said tests that were conducted at the Deep Ocean Test Facility in Annapolis, Md., revealed that the Titan’s hull “showed signs of cyclic fatigue.” As a result, the hull’s depth rating was reduced to 3,000 meters.
“Not enough to get to the Titanic,” Rush said.
That meant the Titanic trips — which had been planned at first for 2018, then 2019, then 2020 — had to be put off until mid-2021. By that time, Rush expects the new submersibles to be ready to enter service. He said mission specialists who have paid more than $100,000 each to participate in the Titanic expeditions were “generally supportive but disappointed” by the delay.
It takes 2 1/2 hrs to reach the 3,800 metre depth where the Titanic lies.
Comms were lost 1 hour 45 mins into the dive.
So the sub would have been around 2,700 metre depth. Very close to that 3,000 metre maximum depth rating!
The fact that the 2021 and 2022 (one in each year) Titan expeditions went well seems to be just dumb luck.
The last expedition to the wreck of the Titanic with a sub that had the proper depth rating was in 2019 (a sub called Limiting Factor - which is rated at 11km! depth).
The Mir submersibles used by James Cameron 33 times had a rating of 6km.
There were never new subs built by OceanGate, it appears to have tried to patch up the original Titan and make do with that.
Stockton Rush
appears to be was a complete idiot and a murderer.
4 eye rolls for the other passengers / pilot. RIP.
![Roll Eyes](https://bitcointalk.org/Smileys/default/rolleyes.gif)