Titan to Titanic ... The Atlanic Ocean's Secrets

"[We are] exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely."

"Our entire focus is on the crew members in the submersible and their families."

"[We are] deeply thankful for the  extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to re-establish contact with the submersible."

OceanGate Expeditions

"[A catastrophic implosion could be heard for thousands of miles and could be recorded]".

"[An implosion would likely trigger signals in military hydrophones, devices used in the world’s oceans for recording or listening to underwater sounds.]"

"To me it sounds like the sub’s pressure hull is intact, but it’s demobilized from power."

"One of the reasons I suspect the sub may not be able to surface after dropping a release weight could be that it may be partially flooded … If you have water in the pressure hull, it’s quite a large volume. The drop weights usually aren’t that big, and that could be what’s keeping it on the bottom."

"It also means that if the occupants are sitting in a half-flooded pressure hull, that could also be catastrophic. They could become hypothermic. I don’t know how well the CO2 scrubber systems would work if they’re wet."

Ron Allum, deep-sea engineer and explorer

The Titan submersible operated by OceanGate Expeditions dives in an undated image. Photograph: Oceangate Expeditions/Reuters

 

Is there irony being expressed by fortune that a submersible built 70 years after the catastrophic sinking of the world's largest passenger vessel on its maiden voyage holding well over two thousand people on board -- the object of both sadness and curiosity attracting the world's attention generation after generation -- would itself be in a deadly perilous situation of forlorn dimensions in a remote area of the Atlantic where it had submerged with five passengers who may now join the 1,500 who perished that fateful day of 15 April, 1912...?

The submarine was reported on Sunday as being overdue, about 700 kilometres south of St. John's Newfoundland. The U.S. Coast Guard out of Boston responded, along with the Canadian Coast Guard and the search effort remains ongoing, with hope fading as the days go by. It was known that the availability of oxygen on the research sub was sufficient to last four days. The estimate by experts is that by Thursday morning oxygen will have been exhausted.

The ship from which the submersible is launched is owned by the Labrador Mi'kmaq band operated by OceanGate Expeditions which takes explorers and paying passengers of the public to the Atlantic Ocean's depths at a cost of $250,000 each passenger. The submersible can seat up to five people. And the list of its passengers on this trip included a Pakistan businessman and his son, along with two others with scientific credentials and the steersman.

"A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow [Sunday, 4:00 am]."

We started steaming from St. John's, Newfoundland Canada yesterday and are planning to start dive operations around 4am tomorrow morning. Until then, we have a lot of preparations and briefings to do."

Hamish Harding, Chairman Action Aviation

The Titan submersible is seen launching from a platform in an undated photo. Photograph: OceanGate Expeditions/AFP/Getty Images

Hamish Harding, 58-year-old British businessman, is known internationally as an adventurer--- he was involved in Blue Origin's fifth human space flight, holds the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the Earth via the North and South Poles by an aircraft which took 46 hours, 40 minutes, and 22 seconds. Another world record he holds is for the longest time at the bottom of the Ocean in 2021 when he spent over four hours on the sea floor of Challenger Deep in a submergence vehicle, at a depth of 10,930 metres in the Mariana Trench.

The pilot of the Titan on this voyage is Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 73, considered the world's leading expert on the Titanic wreckage, director of underwater research for Experiential Media Group and RMS Titanic Inc. He has spent more time in dozens of submersible dives to the Titanic wreckage than any other explorer. He took part in the Five Deeps expedition in 2019, exploring the deepest parts of all five of Earth's oceans.

"If you are 11 metres or 11 km down, if something bad happens, the result is the same. When you're in very deep water, you're dead before you realize that something is happening, so it's just not a problem."

"You stand down four, five, six, seven-eight hours, which is the longest, and even then you don't really want to come back up."

"Sometimes I go to the end of the [sub] batteries and sometimes even more than to the end. Indeed, I've been told off for doing so several times. Then the resurfacing takes just as long, so one can be down between ten to 12 hours."

Paul-Henri Nargeolet

The Titan submersible, as seen in an undated handout photo issued by OceanGate Expeditions. Photograph: OceanGate Expeditions/PA

St. John's, Newfoundland is the jumping off point each year for the 10-day OceanGate Titanic expedition. When six "mission specialists" are recruited to view the Titanic wreck and its debris field, covering 25 square nautical miles. The Titan is reported to be the size of a mini-van. The Titanic itself is at a 3,800 metre depth at the bottom of the Atlantic. Since its discovery in 1985, it has gradually succumbed to the effects of metal-consuming bacteria; predictions are the ship could dissolve in a matter of decades given huge holes in the hull as sections disintegrate.

Anyone on board the submersible must be at least 18 years of age and "be comfortable in dynamic environments where plans and timetables may change". They must be possessed of basic physical strength, balance, mobility and flexibility. The submersible's high-resolution cameras provides those on board with a live view of the wreck. The dives are projected with a view to serving science through its observations.

CBS journalist David Pogue had once boarded the submersible, remarking that he "couldn't help noticing how many pieces of this sub seemed improvised, with off-the-shelf componentism". A video game controller, he pointed out, was used to pilot the vehicle. This, balanced with preparations for the undersea trips, where mission specialists receive training in navigation, piloting, tracking and communications. Crews typically spend "three to five hours" exploring the Titanic wreckage while seated in the submersible.

The CEO of OceanGate, Stockton Rush, became the youngest jet transport-rated pilot in the world at 19 with his captain's rating at the United Airlines Jet Training Institute in 1981. He has a degree from Princeton University in aerospace engineering. Now in his early 60s, he worked with Boeing Co. on an early design of the Titan carbon-fibre sub, then with NASA. He originally looked to space for a career, then changed his target to exploring the world's oceans. He is now, with the four others, in his submersible.

The OceanGate 22-foot carbon fiber and titanium vessel called the Titan is driven with a PlayStation remote control

That Incomparable View -- Playing Chicken With Nature

Beachfront homes, Florida  Photo: the realtymedics.com

"Its foundation is already starting to slip."
"We're going to see more of this kind of thing happen to coastal housing, and not just in Oregon."
"A lot of these wealthier homeowners are playing chicken with nature, and losing."
Phillip Johnson, executive director, Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition

"I plan to stay and fight as long as I can."
"I'm not even thinking about giving up my house. At least, not yet."
Justine Kenney, retired stockbroker, Nantucket, Massachusetts

"Erosion doesn't destroy the beach or the environment."
"The problem comes when you build on them and you don't want to move away."
Robert Young, geologist, Western Carolina University

Some 3,000 cubic yards of sand were dumped outside these homes in Harvey Cedars, N.J., in early July as an emergency step. Most homeowners there want to go ahead with a beach restoration project, but a few are holding out. Erosion has created steep cliffs in some spots that the locals have dubbed "Harvey Cedars Bluffs.''

"When you look at oceanfront property, there are three things any property owner is interested in. Number one and the most important is the view of the ocean. Number two is access to the ocean, and number three is the breeze, which is an important factor."
"A lot of people don't like to use their air conditioning. They say the evening breeze off the ocean is something special. [Putting dunes as tall as 29 feet that are 50 feet wide in behind homes would reduce property values by 40 percent.] If you have a million-dollar property, it's now worth $600,000."
Ken Porro, lawyer, oceanfront property, Harvey Cedars, New Jersey

In the town of Rockaway Beach, Oregon, great beachfront swaths -- facing rising tides which result in record levels of erosion -- have been eaten away, threatening the stability of costly homes built on bluffs overlooking the ocean. A six-bedroom home on the northern coast of the state with a hot tub and a swimming pool, a Tuscan-style residence with a 3,300 square feet interior, boasting sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean is now in direct peril. The property was once considered a real estate treasure. Built in 2009 for over $1-million  it stood close to ten metres from the ocean.

Now, that last word in comfortable living, a sought-after property, is not quite so sought-after any longer. From the effect of erosion caused by those high tides the owners can enjoy watching from their large windows overlooking the ocean that sweep the beachfront, the house now is perilously perched under three metres from the dune's edge. It is a disaster waiting to happen, and happen it will, predict local officials -- guessing before the end of the year.

The owner of the property has expended tens of thousands of dollars, attempting to save his home. Dump-truck-loads of sand have been deposited on the beach in front of the residence. And the owner is contemplating the installation of permanent rock-and-boulder barriers, in the hope of protecting the bluff from any additional erosion under the waves' interminable onslaught. He is awaiting the go-ahead from state officials.

There is nothing particularly new about costly homes balancing on the edge of cliffs overlooking the ocean. Such homes are still in high demand, but that demand is soon to evaporate and the current owners left with little to celebrate. Affluent purchasers of such special beachfront properties were always willing to pay premium prices for palatial real estate, knowing those properties would be expected to increase in value. Rising sea levels, however, have altered both perceptions and the properties that were once so alluring.

Owners of homes in wealthy enclaves on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts of the United States now face similar battles caused by rising tides and the erosion they are responsible for. Some of the most prized waterfront real estate -- from New England to California is steadily evaporating into the oceans -- whose views and ocean-proximity were once the major selling point for these esteemed properties. True, the owners are wealthy, but they are discovering that their desperate efforts to save their investments are just that; desperate but futile.

Bluffs battered by rising tides that ravage their integrity edge homes ever closer to the sea despite millions some homeowners have dedicated to moving their homes further back on their lots. Experts estimate that in Malibu, California, home to one of the costliest beachfront areas in the country some lots have lost up to 17 metres of beach in the last ten years alone. Local authorities are prepared to spend millions -- up to $60M every ten years -- hauling tons of sand in hopes of restoring the vanishing beaches and dunes. Increased taxes will be levied on the over 100 properties involved, to achieve this.

Photo courtesy of Cocoran Group Real Estate

In Nags Head, North Carolina on the Outer Banks, waterfront property costs over a million dollars where the beach has been eroding roughly two metres each year, according to the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management; more than four times the median rate for North Carolina's coast and where the town is prepared to spend $48M dredging sand from the sea floor to dump it onto the beaches. At taxpayers' expense, of course. "These beaches are doomed. The buildings are doomed, too", states Orrin Pi8lkey, professor of geology, Duke University.

More than 300,000 homes in the United States likely will be affected by chronic flooding within the next 30 years as a result of rising sea levels, according to a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Properties valued at nearly $140-Billion across the country are at risk, suggests the study. Ocean City in Maryland, where town officials have been replenishing the beaches, spending millions in the process, is listed among a number of locations along the Atlantic Ocean at risk of chronic flooding by 2045.

Photo courtesy of Kiawah Island Real Estates

The Thrill of a Lifetime

"We have been seeing regular activity of our white sharks up there [Atlantic Canada], moving up there this time of year, staying through 'til late fall. We believe that this has been happening since the beginning of time."
"[The presence of] Lots of sharks [as the natural balance keeper at the top of the food chain] means lots of fish sandwiches, lots of clams, lots of oysters, lots of lobsters."
"The mere presence of the apex predator, the large sharks, modifies their behaviour so they can't just wipe out the resource [fish populations]."
"Thousands of people die every year from drowning. Single digits have had fatal interactions with sharks."
Chris Fischer, founding chairman, Ocearch (shark research group)

While shark attacks are exceedingly rare, the East Coast is emerging as a popular spot for great whites during their mating season. As seen in this Toronto Star file photo, a white shark was captured off Prince Edward Island in 1983.  (Jack Woolner and Tom Hurlbut / Toronto Star File Photo)

"I looked down, and I think, in my mind, I still wanted to see that porpoise shape."
"The girth around this thing was gobsmackingly huge. I can't even describe it -- it felt like I was coming up to a submarine."
"It was terrifying. I thought I was going to die. I thought that was it."
Pat Barker, canoeist, Passamaquoddy Bay, New Brunswick

Out for a pleasant day's paddling on a tranquil mid-June day, a pair of avid canoists, Pat Barker and her husband paddled toward Deer Island through Passamaquoddy Bay when they noticed that their 24-foot canoe had attracted a dorsal fin. Initially assuming a porpoise had taken a liking to their presence, then re-assessed the situation when they realized the dark grey creature with its white underbelly was enormous, at least 4.5 metres in length.

They took a spontaneously swift decision to leave the area because both surmised that this was no extraordinarily large porpoise at all, but far more likely a great white shark whose reputation both were more than aware of and felt little inclination to view up close and personal. When they saw the animal turn as it swept past their boat and begin moving again toward them, dipping further under the water, then circling around the back of the boat, they felt an immediate urge to disassociate themselves from the creature.

They hadn't come out for a fishing expedition, nor were they expecting that they would end up being involved in a dramatic excursion  they were unprepared for. The shark, according to Pat Barker, kept in close communion with their boat, and with them, as they paddled as vigorously determinedly as they could manage. It seemed clear to them that the predator -- for that was certainly what it was -- was entirely focused on them and had no intention of losing contact.

They paddled, the shark aggressively followed. Afterward, on dry land and the shark nowhere in sight, Pat Barker was unable to say how long the shark remained in hot pursuit because as it happened, she was in such a state of fright she struggled not to look back to assess its progress. Once they reached the shore and safety they contacted a local expert on sharks who assured them that they must indeed have come into close quarters with a great white shark; their description of the animal was spot-on.

The shark research group Ocearch operates a live global shark tracker on their website. According to them, the East Coast has become a popular area for great white sharks during mating season. According to their tracker, at the present time a few sharks are swimming about in Atlantic Canada waters. A mature male is known to be lingering around the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, and a young female has remained off the coast of Canso, Nova Scotia.

A great white shark seen in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.    Getty Images

Groups of blue sharks, mako sharks and tiger sharks have also been spotted on the tracker further offshore, while a 600 kilogram great white is swimming about off the coast of North Carolina, but last year made an extended trip to Atlantic Canada. According to Mr. Fischer, that last great white is on its way back toward Atlantic Canada. People there can anticipate more sharks in August, stated Mr. Fischer; the one that the Barkers came across was an early arrival.

This shark expert takes pains to explain that despite peoples' fears about the predatory nature of sharks, their presence is a healthy sign that nature attains a good balance in the biosphere. Sharks feed on the aquatic animals in the food chain below them, helping to ensure those populations are kept under control to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Seals, as averse to the presence of sharks as are people, are kept on beaches in the presence of sharks.Which means the seals are restrained from consuming too deeply into the fish population.

About five people are known to perish as a result of shark attacks annually, according to National Geographic. "Sharks don't know statistics", wryly responded Pat Barker on hearing that assurance. And she has no intention of poking about in their canoe any time soon, heading back toward Deer Island to see if their erstwhile companion misses their presence.

A U.S. coast guardsman from the Atlantic Strike Team looks out over Passamaquoddy Bay during a U.S. and Canadian cross-border contingency exercise September 12, 2007 in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. Luke Pinneo/U.S. Coast Guard via Getty Image