From Everett to the Titanic
Editor’s note: This article was originally published May 10, 2018. Don’t worry, though, there’s still time to join the exploration.
OceanGate, Everett-based submarine builders and explorers, are my fave thing right now.
Their HQ is located on the Port of Everett next to Scuttlebutt, but their journeys take them to deep waters around the world.
Next month OceanGate Expeditions will start a series of manned submarine expeditions to the wreckage of the RMS Titanic.
And they’re taking citizens with them.
OceanGate will be collecting data, images, and video of the site for further scientific study.
OceanGate Expeditions is now accepting applications for “citizen explorers.” This is part of the ethos of the company: making submarine travel possible for the average Joe. Think SpaceX for subs.
This could be one of your last chances to see the famous boat. According to this article in the Belfast Telegraph, the sunken vessel will be completely eaten by "extremophile bacteria" by 2030.
OceanGate will be exploring the famous shipwreck with their new sub, the Titan, which can dive to depths of 4,000 meters.
The Titan has lots of cool features like a filament wound carbon-fiber hull, thruster pods, and "a proprietary steering control system using a standard PlayStationⓇ controller."
Cool!
Wanna see the Titanic? You’re welcome to apply, but there are a few catches.
Each applicant must provide a $105,129 (figure reported in 2018) mission specialist support fee.
OceanGate are still looking for applicants for a Titanic mission in 2020.
Also, if you’re planning on going, you need to take and pass a training class in case your helicopter crashes into the water.
FURTHER ADVENTURES
If you can’t afford to travel abroad with OceanGate you can always keep up with them on their website. The OceanGate blog reads like a Jacques Cousteau-style series of adventures.
They go the Bahamas to test their new subs, survey famous wreckage of the Andrea Doria, and then there’s the one time they looked for sixgill sharks with Macklemore.
Keep an eye on OceanGate. Like the city they call home, they’re going places. While I’ll probably never see the Titanic with my own eyes I’m staying tuned by proxy via their blog.
Good things happen here.
Looking for more adventures around Everett?
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Richard Porter is a writer for Live in Everett.