Billionaire Larry Connor, with a net worth of $2 billion, plans to descend to the Titanic wreck in a $20 million Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer submersible to showcase the safety and wonder of deep-sea exploration, following the recent OceanGate disaster.
In June 2023, five passengers aboard the OceanGate-operated Titan submarine lost their lives attempting to visit the Titanic wreck site.
Connor will partner with Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey to create a safer submarine than the Titan and demonstrate that ocean exploration can be enjoyable and life-changing.
Lahey has criticized OceanGate's CEO for predatory practices and the company's safety standards. He has also blamed the carbon fiber hull for the Titan sub's catastrophic implosion but believes the wider industry's reputation remains intact.
Filmmaker James Cameron and engineers had warned OceanGate that the Titan's design could result in catastrophic failure. Passengers had reported experiences of malfunctioning equipment, failed dives, and an overall sense of uncertainty aboard the Titan submersible.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Business Insider, Indy 100, Express, Metro, Mirror, telegraaf.nl