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Titan (Submersible or Submarines)
Titan, formerly known as Cyclops 2, was a submersible developed and operated by OceanGate, an underwater exploration company. It was notable for being the first privately-owned submersible capable of reaching depths of up to 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) and for being the first crewed submersible with a hull made from titanium and carbon fiber composite materials.
After undergoing testing dives to its maximum depth in 2018 and 2019, Titan’s original composite hull exhibited signs of fatigue damage and was replaced by 2021. Starting that year, OceanGate began offering expeditions for paying customers to visit the wreck of the Titanic. Several successful dives were completed in 2021 and 2022. However, during its first expedition in 2023, the submersible tragically imploded, resulting in the death of all five occupants. OceanGate lost contact with Titan on June 18 and alerted authorities when it did not return on schedule. A large international search and rescue operation took place, ending on June 22 when debris from Titan was found approximately 1,600 feet (500 meters) from the Titanic’s bow.
Titan (submersible)
| Titan (submersible) | |
| OceanGate, Inc. | |
| Name | Titan |
| Owner | OceanGate, Inc. |
| Operator | OceanGate, Inc. |
| Completed | 2018 |
| Fate | Imploded on 18 June 2023 |
| Height | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Length | 6.7 m (22 ft) |
Background
Since the discovery of the Titanic wreck in 1985, various tours of the site have been conducted. Notably, the Russian Mir-class submersibles, built in Finland, explored the wreck in the 1990s and captured footage for the opening scenes of the 1997 film “Titanic.”
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, after taking tourists to the wreck of the Andrea Doria in 2016, noted the unique allure of the Titanic, stating, “There’s only one wreck that everyone knows… if you ask people to name something underwater, it’s going to be sharks, whales, Titanic.” Beginning in 2021, OceanGate’s Titan conducted several survey expeditions of the Titanic wreckage, with plans to explore the debris field and create a 3D model of the wreck.
Design and Construction of Titan (Submersible)
Titan, a submersible developed and operated by OceanGate, measured 670 cm x 280 cm x 250 cm (22.0 ft x 9.2 ft x 8.2 ft) and weighed 9,525 kg (21,000 lb). It had a maximum payload capacity of 685 kg (1,510 lb). The submersible used four electric thrusters (two horizontal and two vertical) for propulsion, allowing it to move at speeds of up to 3 knots (5.6 km/h). OceanGate designed Titan to carry enough oxygen to sustain five people for 96 hours.
The pressure vessel comprised five main components: two titanium end caps, two titanium interface rings, and a 142 cm (56 in) internal diameter, 2.4-meter-long (7.9 ft) carbon fiber-wound cylindrical hull. The forward end cap served as a detachable hatch, enabling crew entry and exit. Additionally, Titan featured a landing skid structure and an outer fiberglass composite shell to house mechanical equipment.
Spencer Composites constructed the carbon fiber cylindrical hull, consisting of 480 alternating layers of pre-preg unidirectional cloth and wet-wound filament. The hull was cured at 137 °C (279 °F) for seven days. Each titanium end cap had a wall thickness of 83 mm (3.25 in). The forward end cap also included an experimental 380 mm-diameter (15 in) acrylic window, rated to a depth of only 650 m (2,130 ft).
Titan incorporated a real-time acoustic monitoring system to detect potential buckling in the carbon fiber hull before catastrophic failure. Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s CEO, held a patent for this system. The submersible was controlled using a modified game controller, similar to OceanGate’s earlier submersible, Cyclops 1. The hatch was bolted from the outside, making it impossible to open from within. Titan also lacked an on-board location system, relying on the support ship to send text messages for positioning information.
Construction
OceanGate began developing Titan, initially named Cyclops 2, in collaboration with the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory (APL-UW) in 2013. Spencer Composites and Titanium Fabrication Corp. supplied the carbon fiber cylinder and titanium components, respectively. Titan was launched in March 2018.
Despite significant concerns about using carbon fiber for deep-sea submersibles, OceanGate proceeded with the material. Industry experts warned that carbon fiber might not withstand the immense pressures of deep-sea exploration. In 2018, the Marine Technology Society’s committee on Manned Underwater Vehicles advised OceanGate to have Titan certified by a ship classification society, but OceanGate declined.
Design Issues
Concerns about Titan’s design surfaced early in its development. Liz Taylor from DOER Marine warned against using carbon fiber, and the Marine Technology Society expressed concerns about the lack of certification. Rob McCallum, an early consultant, also voiced concerns about the rapid development pace and lack of rigorous testing.
OceanGate’s decision to forego certification and standard engineering practices raised eyebrows. Journalist David Pogue, who participated in a 2022 OceanGate Titanic expedition, noted the lack of an emergency locator beacon and frequent communication losses during dives. Screenwriter Mike Reiss also reported communication issues during his dives with Titan.
Testing and Inspection
Initial testing of Titan included shallow water dives in Puget Sound and uncrewed dives to 4,000 meters near the Great Abaco Island in 2018. Stockton Rush conducted a solo dive to 4,000 meters in December 2018, becoming the second person to do so after James Cameron’s 2012 Challenger Deep dive.
In April 2019, a crewed dive reached 3,760 meters, setting a new record. However, concerns about the hull’s integrity persisted. Karl Stanley, who participated in the dive, reported hearing loud cracking noises, indicating potential defects in the hull.
After these tests, the hull began showing signs of fatigue and was de-rated to 3,000 meters. OceanGate replaced or repaired the hull in 2020 or 2021 before commencing Titanic expeditions. The new hull construction involved rigorous testing, but concerns about reused components persisted.
Operational History
In 2021, Titan conducted shallow water test dives with prospective Titanic expedition passengers. However, technical issues plagued some test dives. In May 2021, a test dive with television host Josh Gates was aborted due to multiple technical problems, leading Gates and his team to decline participating in a Titanic expedition.
Despite these issues, Titan completed several dives to the Titanic wreck site in 2021 and 2022. Unfortunately, during its first 2023 expedition, the submersible imploded, killing all five occupants. A massive international search and rescue operation led to the discovery of Titan’s debris near the Titanic wreck, confirming the tragic loss.
Titanic Tourism Operations
Titanic Experience Tour
Titanic Dives and Dive Attempts
2022 or 23
Implosion
General Characteristics
| Characteristics | ||
| Class and type | Not classed | |
| Length | 6.7 m (22 ft) | |
| Beam | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) | |
| Height | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) | |
| Propulsion | Four Innerspace 1002 thrusters | |
| Speed | 3 knots (5.6 km/h) (max) | |
| Endurance | 96 hours (w/ 5 persons) | |
| Test depth | Up to 4,000 m (13,000 ft) | |
| Capacity | 5 people | |
| Crew | 1 pilot, 1 technical expert, 3 “mission specialists” (passengers) | |
