The RMS Titanic sank in 1912 and 108 years later, Ocean Gate Expeditions hopes to make dives to the wreckage an annual occurrence between May and September, starting next year.
The bow of the Titanic.
The plan is the brainchild of Stockton Rush, the President of OceanGate Expeditions. Rush owns a five-person submarine and wants to conduct research missions to the site.
‘Beginning summer of 2021, a team of explorers will dive 3,800 meters below the surface of the North Atlantic to the wreck site of the RMS Titanic. This historic expedition will open the opportunity for citizen scientists to participate as active members of the team. Considered Mission Specialists, these individuals will help to achieve scientific goals and document the current condition of the historic wreck. Receiving hands-on training and continued instruction, this unique opportunity will connect explorers and amateur scientists to real scientific adventure,’ says OceanGate’s website.
Rush told Bloomberg that 36 people have booked for the first six expeditions between May and July. He says that there is more space available.
The Titanic is a UNESCO protected site and Rush says he has no plans of making it a tourist spot. He did say though that he will be earning an income on the dives.
There will be nine ‘mission specialists’ per expedition, divided into 3 per dive who will pay $125,000 (R2,006,760) for an eight-day sail from St. John’s in Newfoundland.
A single dive will take between 6 and 8 hours to reach the site of the Titanic, where they will explore and return to a ship on the surface of the water.
If the plans are successful, these will be the first people to visit the site in 15 years.
Paying passengers will be required to assist in technical surveys of the wreckage as well as the Titanic’s debris field, which according to Rush, spans over 25 square nautical miles.
Facts about the Titanic
- The RMS Titanic was the world’s largest passenger ship when it entered service, measuring 269m in length.
- The Titanic struck an iceberg at 11.40pm on April 14 1912. She had been sailing for only 4 days.
- At around 2.20am on the morning of April 15, the Titanic disappeared.
- The ship was on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
- There were 2,240 passengers and crew on board the Titanic.
- Only 705 people survived.
- It cost $7,500,000 to build the Titanic (about $201,247,422 in 2020).
- Two people were killed during the construction of the ship.
- There were an inadequate number of lifeboats carried on Titanic. Only 16 boats, plus four Engelhardt ‘collapsibles,’ were available. These could accommodate just 1,178 people.
- The Titanic could carry up to 2,435 passengers, and a crew of approximately 900 brought her capacity to more than 3,300 people.
- The wealthiest passenger was John Jacob Astor IV, heir to the Astor family fortune.
- The largest group of passengers was in Third Class with more than 700 people, exceeding the other two levels combined.
- Some Third Class passengers paid less than $20 to make the crossing.
- The Titanic did not make direct impact on the iceberg but rather grazed along the side of it. Look outs had no idea that the iceberg had a jagged underwater spur.
- The iceberg slashed a 300-foot gash in the hull below the ship’s waterline.
Picture: Unsplash
