US billionaire plans submersible trip to Titanic wreck
A US luxury real estate billionaire and a deep-sea explorer are planning an expedition to explore the Titanic in a submersible.
Ohio tycoon and adventurer Larry Connor and Patrick Lahey, co-founder of Triton Submarines, aim to descend approximately 3,800 meters (12,467 feet) to visit the shipwreck in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The private submersible industry faced a major setback after five people died when an OceanGate vessel imploded en route to the Titanic last year.
A spokesperson for Connor’s company announced on Tuesday that the planned voyage would proceed only after the submersible received full certification from a marine organization.
No timeframe has been set for the expedition.
Connor and Lahey intend to use a submersible named the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, capable of safely reaching depths of 4,000 meters.
In contrast, OceanGate’s Titan submersible, constructed from carbon fiber, was only certified for depths up to 1,300 meters, much shallower than the Titanic wreck site. The Titan imploded in June 2023 during a trip to the wreck, killing all on board, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, 61, British-Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood, 48, his son Suleman, 19, British businessman Hamish Harding, 58, and former French navy diver Paul-Henry Nargeolet, 77.
Rush had a reputation for taking safety risks and had ignored several warnings from advisers about the Titan. Investigations by US and Canadian authorities are ongoing.
Mr. Connor told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the proposed Triton expedition: “I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way.”
The private submersible industry suffered after the Titan disaster, and the pair hope that a successful voyage will reignite interest.
OceanGate suspended operations and other firms reported canceled orders and declining sales after the Titan implosion. Mr Lahey told the newspaper: “This tragedy had a chilling effect on people’s interest in these vehicles.”
Mr Lahey co-founded Triton Submarines in 2008. Mr Connor is head of The Connor Group, a real estate investment firm based near Dayton, Ohio.
In 2021, the duo ventured together in a submersible to the Challenger Deep and the Sirena Deep in the Mariana Trench. At nearly 36,000ft, the trench is the deepest point on the Earth’s seabed.
Triton Submarines has been contacted for comment.
