Before Titan sub implosion, Oceangate made 2 expeditions to century-old wreck, captured highest resolution pics

Five people on board OceanGate’s submersible Titan passed away in a catastrophic implosion last month.The vessel went missing on June 18 and sparked an international search and rescue.

The vessel went missing on June 18. (Credits: Reuters)

OceanGate’s name hit the limelight in the middle of June when its Titan submersible undersea vehicle lost communication, which sparked an international search and rescue. The rescue effort came to a terrible ending after the US Coast Guard Service found the wreckage of the Titan at the bottom of the ocean, indicating that the vehicle had suffered a catastrophic implosion, killing all five people on board. Before its horrific last voyage, the Titan had made multiple successful, though not without their own issues, expeditions to the wreckage of the Titanic.

Pictures from the Titanic

OceanGate's successful second voyage to the site was done with a team of experienced ‘Mission Specialists’, the term that the company used to describe paying customers, at the helm. The company and team managed to conduct seven dives that returned a wealth of high-definition images, casting fresh light on the condition of the sunkenship. The company had also teamed up with eDNAtec to gather water samples from the site, which provided crucial data for ongoing environmental studies.

First 8K video of Titanic

OceanGate also released a first-of-its-kind 8K video that offered an in-depth view of the Titanic wreck. This vivid portrayal has nearly 6 million views on YouTube.

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OceanGate also ventured into publishing, releasing a collector's edition photo book that documented their captivating underwater adventures. This comprehensive volume of 150 pages featured a host of stunning photographs from their 2021 and 2022 Titanic expeditions. The books were personally signed by PH Nargeolet and OceanGate Ceo Stockton Rush, both of whom perished in the Titan implosion.

Other OceanGate Expeditions

It wasn't all about the Titanic though. OceanGate's other destinations in the past included several other underwater locations. A notable instance was their collaboration with the University of Rhode Island in exploring a sunken Nazi U-Boat.

The team embarked on an intriguing side mission to investigate the so-called Nargeolet-Fanning Ridge. Titanic Expert PH Nargeolet had held on to these enigmatic coordinates for over 20 years, and in 2022 the mystery was finally resolved. The team thoroughly examined the ridge, which has since been provisionally named in honour of Nargeolet.

OceanGate Titan submersible implosion

Five people on board OceanGate’s submersible Titan passed away in an implosion last month. The vessel went missing on June 18. It lost contact with surface vessel about one hour and 45 minutes after it began the dive to the wreckage of the Titanic. The vessel had about 96 hours of oxygen left when it went missing. French Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush were among the casualties. British Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman also lost their lives in the incident.

OceanGate stops ops after Titan sub disaster

Following the June disaster, the company has announced that it has halted all operations, including its other tours and expeditions. The US Coast Guard is currently investigating the implosion to better understand why the submersible failed and how to prevent such disasters in the future. SInce the disaster, numerous reports have come to light describing how Rush and OceanGate dismissed professional advice, including from a former engineer and from Titanic filmmaker and deep sea explorer James Cameron, about the risk factor of their Titan submersible.

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