THE submersible which has gone missing while diving on the wreck of the Titanic is the the only commercial vessel capable of reaching it, according to an expert.
British Titanic Society chair David Scott-Beddard told GB News: “It’s an incredibly difficult dive. It’s been going on since the wreck was discovered in 1985.
“And of course the original dives, including the filming for James Cameron’s movie, were carried out by two Russian submersibles which are no longer in operation and the OceanGate Titan, this particular submersible is the only one currently capable in commercial use, I believe, that can take passengers down to the wreck.
“So, it is going to make the rescue mission incredibly difficult. It’s one of only five, I believe, submersibles that can reach this depth.”
In a discussion during Breakfast with Eamonn Holmes and Isabel, he continued: “There are no luxuries or comfort, it’s large enough. People can see pictures on the OceanGates website of the interior as well as the exterior of this Titan submersible.
“Creature comforts are incredibly basic. The vessel is designed to dive to a depth of 4,000 plus metres.
“Interestingly, it does have what’s called a real time home health monitoring system which has a series of sensors all around the hull which continually monitor the pressure.
“Should there be any change in the pressure on the outer hull, the pilot is notified immediately and can instigate an ascent quite quickly if anything has happened catastrophically, and let’s hope and pray it hasn’t, because the pressure on the outside of that hole is three and a half tonnes per square inch.”
Asked if he would have made the dive, he said: “Yes, I would. I’ve been interested in Titanic for most of my life. It’s an honour and a privilege to be the head of what is one of the world’s greatest Titanic societies.
“We have hundreds of members all over the world who study and are passionate about the vessel. But yes, I would happily take a ticket if I could afford one.”
