U.S. Billionaire Plans Deep-Sea Expedition To Titanic Wreck A Year After OceanGate Tragedy

A year after the OceanGate Titan submersible imploded, real estate investor Larry Connor and Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey are planning a deep-sea expedition to the Titanic wreckage.

The duo intends to reach a depth of 12,400 feet in the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer.

An Ohio-based investor, Connor designed a $20 million vessel for the mission.

The Triton 4000/2, called after its diving capabilities of 4,000 meters (about 13,123 feet), represents technological advancements in recent years.

Connor emphasized the mission’s purpose of highlighting the ocean’s powerful yet appealing nature, saying he wants to showcase worldwide that, while the ocean is mighty, it can also be excellent, enjoyable, and even life-changing if approached correctly.

Lahey stated that the submersible concept had been in development for over a decade but was previously deemed impractical due to material and technological restrictions.

Reflecting on the Titan sub incident, Lahey recalled a conversation with Connor in which they agreed on the importance of a reliable submersible capable of repeated safe dives to Titanic-level depths.

The OceanGate catastrophe, which killed five people, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, was overshadowed by criticism of the submarine’s safety standards.

Following the incident, Lahey was among the outspoken critics, describing Rush’s practices as “quite predatory”.

According to Business Insider, passengers on the ill-fated Titan sub were obliged to sign disclaimers admitting the vessel’s experimental nature and the risks involved.

The Titan sub tragedy killed British billionaire and discoverer Hamish Harding, 58; Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48; his son Suleman, 19; French oceanographer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77; and Rush himself, who charged $250,000 per person for the expedition.

Connor and Lahey’s upcoming voyage aims to commemorate the memories of those lost and restore faith in deep-sea exploration by demonstrating that it can be done safely.

Reference: CBNtv, NDTV

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