A former OceanGate contractor who worked on the currently missing Titan near the Titanic wreck said the ship was intentionally designed to be low-tech.
Doug Virnig said the submersible, controlled by a wireless Logitech video game controller, uses as many “off-the-shelf” components as possible to save cost and timely research and development.
Virnig also said OceanGate’s primary focus is ocean research rather than adventure tourism. He said tourist expeditions, which cost up to $250,000 per seat, were just one way to fund research.
A massive multinational search is currently underway near the century-old wreck of the Titanic to find and recover the five people aboard the missing five-inch-thick carbon fiber submarine.
There are only a few hours left before the oxygen supply runs out. The submersible started with 96 hours of air, according to OceanGate, so its oxygen tanks would likely be depleted Thursday morning, although the exact timing depends on factors such as how powerful the craft is and how calm the people are. edge. say the experts, and if the craft is still intact.
Ex-OceanGate subcontractor uses as many “off-the-shelf” components as possible to save cost and timely R&D
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush revealed to CBS last year that the Titan submersible was piloted by a modified Logitech G F710 wireless gamepad, first released in 2010.
Former OceanGate contractor Doug Virnig (pictured) said the company’s main interest was in ocean research rather than adventure tourism
Referring to the $29.99 Logitech game controller, Virnig said CNN: ‘It sounds a little cheesy, but if you knew the amount of technology that was contained in this controller and its capabilities, and the amount of money it costs to develop something like this, it’s just out of the question. maps.
“So if you can take those components off the shelf and incorporate them into a project like this, where you don’t have the R&D time and expense, I think that’s a good choice. “
Virnig pointed out that OceanGate was “state-of-the-art where they needed to be.”
He said the submersible company had “incorporated a fair amount of conventional wisdom” during its development.
The former Titan contractor added that he believed the 22ft (6.7m) carbon fiber vessel would eventually be found.
“It’s got a titanium domed door and it’s going nowhere,” Virnig said. “This thing is indestructible… It’s a huge piece of metal, so there are ways to detect this and they will find it.”
In an interview with CBS last year, pilot Stockton Rush, who is currently on the ship, said it was “intended for a 16-year-old to launch it”.
In the interview, he demonstrated by throwing the controller around the Titan’s tiny cabin. He said a few spares are kept on board “just in case”.
The submersible had seven backup systems to get to the surface, including falling sandbags and lead pipes and an inflatable balloon.
Five people can board the five-inch-thick carbon fiber Titan submarine – the size of a minivan (file image)
OceanGate’s Titan Submarine is controlled by a wireless Logitech video game controller
A massive multinational search is currently underway near the 100-year-old Titanic wreck to find and recover the five people aboard the missing Titan (pictured)
Rescue teams continue to search for the submersible tourist vessel that went missing on a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic
The submarine itself has no GPS system. Instead, he uses Elon Musk’s Starlink to communicate with a tracking team on his mothership, MV Polar Prince, via short text messages.
The submarine is supposed to communicate with the main ship – which in 2005 was listed on eBay with a reserve price of $1 million – every 15 minutes to inform the team of its location.
On board, there are no seats and only one lavatory – a small black box containing Ziploc bags – with a drawn black curtain and music playing for privacy.
However, the company’s website recommends “restricting your diet before and during diving to reduce the likelihood that you will need to use the facilities”.
The walls of the submarine are heated as conditions can get extremely cold.
It comes after newly uncovered allegations suggested that there had been significant caveats regarding the safety of the ship during the development of the submersible.
One of the company’s first customers called a dive he made at the site two years ago a “kamikaze operation”.
‘Imagine a metal tube a few meters long with a metal sheet for flooring. You can’t stand. You cannot kneel. Everyone sits next to each other or on top of each other,” said Arthur Loibl, a retired German businessman and adventurer. “You can’t be claustrophobic.”
The controller is designed to work with a PC, is wireless and runs on AA batteries
During the 2.5-hour descent and ascent, the lights were turned off to save power, he said, with the only lighting coming from a fluorescent lightstick.
The dive was repeatedly delayed to resolve a problem with the battery and balance weights. In total, the trip took 10.5 hours.
Documents also showed that OceanGate had been warned that there could be catastrophic safety issues posed by the way the experimental vessel was developed.
David Lochridge, director of marine operations for OceanGate, said in a 2018 lawsuit that the company’s testing and certification was insufficient and would “subject passengers to potential extreme danger in an experimental submersible”.
The company insisted that Lochridge was “not an engineer and was not hired or invited to perform engineering services on the Titan”. The company also claims that the ship under development was a prototype, not the now defunct Titan.
The Marine Technology Society, which describes itself as “a professional group of ocean engineers, technologists, policy makers and educators”, also expressed concern that year in a letter to Rush, the CEO of OceanGate. .
The company, in documents first reported by The New York Times, said it was essential that the company put its prototype through expert third-party supervised testing before launch to protect passengers.
Mission specialists are pictured aboard the Titan submersible during voyages before the ship disappeared
French Navy veteran PH Nargeolet (left) is in the submarine with OceanGate Expedition CEO Stockton Rush (right)
Five people are on board, including British billionaire adventurer Hamish Harding and Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, who is just 19.
Other passengers lost on the Titan are British adventurer Hamish Harding; Pakistani nationals Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, whose eponymous company invests across the country; and French explorer and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet.
Retired Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, who is now associate director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University, said the disappearance underscores the dangers associated with operations in deep water and recreational exploration of the sea and space.
“I think some people believe that because modern technology is so good, you can do things like that and not have accidents, but that’s just not the case,” he said. declared.
