PORTLAND, Maine – The company that holds the rights to salvage the Titanic is undertaking its first expedition to the ship’s wreck in years, and those involved in the mission said they have heavy hearts and lofty goals for a trip that will come a year after a submersible disaster involving another company. . killed five people.
RMS Titanic Inc., a Georgia-based company, holds the legal rights to salvage the wreckage of the ship, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912. The company’s first expedition to the site since 2010 launched Friday in Providence, Rhode Island.
The trip comes at a time when the global community of underwater explorers is still reeling from the deadly threat implosion of an experimental submersible en route to the Titanic in June 2023. The Titan submersible disaster killed all five people on board, including Paul-Henri Nargeoletwho was director of underwater research on the RMS Titanic.
This summer’s mission to the Titanic “means even more with the passing” of Nargeolet, known as “Mr. Titanic” by many, said RMST Inc. President Jessica Sanders.
The expedition will use modern imaging technology and remotely operated vehicles to capture detailed images of the Titanic, the wreckage site and the debris field, RMST Inc. representatives said.
“This monumental undertaking will allow us to document the Titanic in unprecedented detail and share new discoveries from the wreck site with the public, continuing PH’s extraordinary work and passion,” said Sanders.
The ship bound for the site, the Dino Chouest, will take several days to reach the site and is scheduled to return around Aug. 13, said Jon Hammond, a spokesman for RMST Inc.
The work will allow the company to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current condition of the Titanic wreckage site and a detailed assessment of artifacts that can be safely targeted for future recovery, RMST Inc. representatives said.
Nargeolet made more than 35 dives on the Titanic during his lifetime. O implosion also killed Titan operator Stockton Rush; two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and her 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood; and British adventurer Hamish Harding.
OceanGate, the company co-founded by Rush and which owns the submersible, suspended operations a year ago. The US Coast Guard called a high level investigation about what happened, but it took longer than expected and it is unclear when the investigation will be completed.
Underwater explorers are waiting to hear the results of the investigation and RMST Inc.’s trip to the Titanic site is an important milestone in exploring the site, said Katy Croff Bell, founder of the Ocean Discovery League.
“The Coast Guard investigation is still ongoing and they have not yet released their results, so the final chapter of this episode has not yet been published,” Bell said. “One thing that has emerged is that maybe there is more interest.”
This month’s trip to the Titanic will also allow comparison with images from 2010, said representatives from RMST Inc. The mission could also result in the discovery of new areas of the debris field, previously unknown marine life and new areas of decay that could provide access. unobstructed to the interior of the ship, the company stated on its website.
The vessel making the journey is equipped with two remotely operated vehicles that will be used to capture the first end-to-end mapping image of the wreckage site and debris, RMST Inc. said.
The expedition will include “the highest-resolution camera systems ever deployed at the site in an effort to bring new insights about the ship to the community,” said Evan Kovacs, an underwater cameraman working on the mission.
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