An Ohio real estate investor is gearing up to dive to Titanic-level depths in a two-person submersible, intending to showcase the safety of such voyages post the OceanGate sub’s implosion last year.
Billionaire real estate tycoon Larry Connor told The Wall Street Journal, “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.”
Connor is planning his expedition with Patrick Lahey, Triton Submarines’ co-founder and CEO, they endeavor to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of repeated expeditions despite the OceanGate sub’s tragic implosion last June, claiming all five lives onboard, including CEO Stockton Rush.
Lahey recounted that Connor contacted him a few days following the implosion, stating, “‘You know, what we need to do is construct a sub capable of repeatedly and safely diving to [Titanic-level depths] and showcase to the world that you guys can achieve that, and that Titan was merely a contraption.'”
Per Business Insider:
An Ohio real-estate investor is planning to take a two-person submersible down to Titanic-level depths to prove that the journey can be carried out safely following the Titan sub implosion last year.
The investor, Larry Connor, told The Wall Street Journal: “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.”
He is working with Patrick Lahey, the cofounder and CEO of submersible manufacturer Triton Submarines.
The pair aims to show that such an expedition can be carried out repeatedly and safely despite the implosion of the OceanGate sub last June, which killed all five people on board, including the company’s CEO, Stockton Rush.
Lahey said that Connor rang him a few days after the implosion and said: “‘You know, what we need to do is build a sub that can dive to [Titanic-level depths] repeatedly and safely and demonstrate to the world that you guys can do that, and that Titan was a contraption.'”
Connor, who has previously been to the Mariana Trench, the deepest oceanic trench on Earth, said they plan to do the journey in a two-person vessel called the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, named “4000” for the depth in meters it can reach. He did not say when the trip will take place.