On this day, June 18, 2023, five passengers got into a submersible to have a look at the wreckage of RMS Titanic.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, Google News

NATIONAL
A year after the Titan submersible implosion, investigators still don't have answers
JUNE 18, 20245:00 AM ET
By Rachel Treisman

Titan (submersible)


Titan in a promotional image published by OceanGate before 2023

History
Name: Titan
Owner: OceanGate, Inc.
Operator: OceanGate, Inc.
Completed: 2018
Fate: Imploded on 18 June 2023; 1 years ago
General characteristics
Class and type: Not classed
Length: 6.7 m (22 ft)
Beam: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Height: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Propulsion: Four Innerspace 1002 thrusters
Speed: 3 knots (5.6 km/h) (max)
Endurance: 96 hours (w/ 5 persons)
Test depth: Up to 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
Capacity: 5 people
Crew: 1 pilot, 1 technical expert, 3 "mission specialists" (passengers)

Titan, previously called Cyclops 2, was a submersible created and operated by underwater exploration company OceanGate. It was the first privately-owned submersible with a claimed maximum depth of 4,000 m (13,000 ft), and the first completed crewed submersible with a hull constructed of titanium and carbon fiber composite materials.

After testing with dives to its maximum intended depth in 2018 and 2019, the original composite hull of Titan developed fatigue damage and was replaced by 2021. In that year, OceanGate began transporting paying customers to the wreck of the Titanic, completing several dives to the wreck site in 2021 and 2022. During the submersible's first 2023 expedition, all five occupants were killed when the vessel imploded. OceanGate lost contact with Titan on 18 June and contacted authorities later that day after the submersible was overdue for return. A massive international search and rescue operation ensued and ended on 22 June, when debris from Titan was discovered about 1,600 feet (500 metres) from the bow of the Titanic.

{snip}

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Money doesn't make you well.