Global Courant
As efforts to locate the missing Titanic scout submarine continue, former passengers chime in on their experiences with OceanGate’s Titan submarine, with one labeling the adventure a “suicide mission.”
“It was a suicide mission then!” retired businessman and adventurer Arthur Loibl, 61, told German outlet Bild.
In August 2021, Loibl took part in the underwater adventure, but shared that the experience was “extreme”.
“The first submarine didn’t work, then a dive at 1,600 meters had to be abandoned,” he said, noting that his group finally launched five hours later due to electrical problems.
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Arthur Loibl, a former passenger on the Titan, was one of the first passengers to descend to the Titanic in an OceanGate Expeditions mini-submarine. (Armin Weigel/Photo Alliance via Getty Images)
Along with the nerve-wracking delay, the stabilizer tube bracket — which keeps the submarine balanced — tore and had to be “reattached with zip ties,” he said.
“I wasn’t worried about that,” Loibl added.
Loibl was one of three explorers who descended into the Atlantic Ocean in an OceanGate Expeditions submarine to view the wreckage of the Titanic. (Armin Weigel/Photo Alliance via Getty Images)
He described the conditions faced by the passengers aboard the missing Titan submarine as “hell.”
“You need strong nerves, you can’t be claustrophobic, and you need to be able to sit cross-legged for 10 hours,” Loibl said. “It must be hell down there. There’s only eight feet of space, it’s four degrees, there’s no chair, no toilet.”
The submarine, which carries five passengers, is about 22 feet long and 9.2 feet wide, according to OceanGate’s website.
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“It must be hell down there.”
Another thrill-seeker placed the deposit for the $250,000 trip to the depths of the ocean, but he backed out due to “security concerns.”
“As a modern day adventurer interested in pushing the boundaries of our knowledge of places where people go… the Titanic is clearly an iconic wreck,” Chris Brown told Good Morning America. “It’s an opportunity for an expedition, an exploration and adding a little science to the situation.”
OceanGate’s Titan submarine has been missing since Sunday with five passengers on board. (OceanGate Expeditions)
Brown, 61, quit after being concerned about the quality of the technology and materials used by the company, but declined to comment on the specifics of the safety features he saw as red flags.
In a 2022 video interview, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush revealed that the submarine is controlled by a game controller currently selling for $30 on Amazon.
In his “CBS Sunday Morning” interview, Rush showed off the remote control that appeared to have elongated, modified sticks to help control the Titan submarine.
According to CEO Stockton Rush, the Logitech F710 video game controller controls the OceanGate Titan submarine. (Joby Sessions/PC Gamer Magazine/Future via Getty Images/OceanGate Expeditions)
While he declined to comment further, Brown acknowledged that sometimes adventurers like him don’t think about the consequences of their actions for their loved ones.
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“We fully understand the risk and are taking them on board,” he said. “But (friends and family) haven’t been that involved in the process… in a situation like this, it’s probably like the bottom of their world has fallen.”
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a writer on Fox News Digital’s breaking news team. You can reach her on Twitter at @s_rumpfwhiteten.
