Two weeks ago a submissible doing a deep dive to check out the wreckage of the RMS Titanic went missing. It did not end well: Days later the remnants of the vessel were discovered. It had imploded, killing five, including a 19-year-old who didn’t even want to go, plus the CEO of the company that advertised the trip. Bizarrely enough, they’re still advertising it.
As caught by Insider, OceanGate, which launched in 2009 but didn’t do its first expedition until 2021, doesn’t appear to have changed anything on its site. It still hawks Titanic trips, which comprise an eight day voyage that begins in Newfoundland before sailing 380 miles east and plunging 3,800 meters below the surface.
“You dive will provide not only a thrilling and unique travel experience, but also help the scientific community learn more about the wreck and the deep ocean environment,” reads the copy.
The site lists two expeditions for summer of 2024. For 2023, it simply says trips are “currently underway” and asks interested parties to “inquire for available dates.”
In the wake of the tragedy, reports have surfaced about how OceanGate brass, including now late CEO Stockton Rush, ignored repeated warnings about the danger of the craft his company used for their deep dive trips. James Cameron, who’s made similar trips (including an even deeper one into the Mariana Trench), had been warning for years about not taking such expeditions lightly. Cameron also revealed that he knew the vessel had imploded days before it was confirmed.
(Via Insider)