() — Authorities are working around the clock to locate the civilian submarine that had five people on board when it went missing on Sunday while exploring the wreckage of the Titanic.
‘s Gabe Cohen previously reported on operator OceanGate Expeditions and had already toured the Titan submarine out of the water during his time at affiliate KOMO in 2018.
Speaking to ” This Morning,” Cohen said he remembered being “in awe of how simple” the onboard technology seemed.
“It is a small ship, quite narrow and small. You have to sit inside, without shoes… It is operated with a video game controller, which basically looks like a PlayStation controller,” he explained.
“It can go 4,000 meters deep in the ocean and withstand 68 million kilos of pressure that it would feel at the bottom of the ocean.”
“It was amazing to see it, at that time, just as they were packing up the ship and getting ready for one of these expeditions. So obviously it’s very difficult and sad to see what has happened now,” Cohen added.
These are some of the characteristics of the Titan, the missing submarine weighing more than 10,000 kilos:
- Made of carbon fiber and titanium
- It can carry a crew of 5 people
- Maximum depth: around 4,000 meters
- Life support: 96 hours
“They talked about security over and over again”
The company was founded in 2009 by its current CEO, Stockton Rush. Over the years, Cohen explained, the company has conducted numerous scientific expeditions to various shipwrecks, not just the Titanic.
Discussing the use of consumable products used on board, such as video game controllers, Cohen said he had asked OceanGate about it. “They also insisted that the Titan’s carbon fiber structure could reliably carry out a mission like this. They spared no expense and spared no expense to achieve it, that’s what they told me repeatedly.”
He continued: “I interviewed Stockton Rush several times. Not just him, but his team as well. They talked about safety over and over again and how confident they were in the technology of this submarine, and the other vessels they had designed at over time, but we’ve since learned that the Titan has had some issues before with communication.”
Cohen referred to a CBS report in which it was reported that last year the ship was lost for more than two hours without being able to receive messages from the surface, on which it depends to know where to go, since it does not have a GPS on board.
