Facts About the Titan

Prior to its expedition on Sunday, Titan submersible which plunged into the limelight for the wrong reasons, has made 2 dives to the wreckage of the Titanic since 2021.

Designed in collaboration with the NASA and University of Washington, the sub is built with carbon fibre cylinders and intended to be failsafe.

The 12 ft long, 9.2ft wide and 8.3ft high is described as similar to a mini van without chairs, thus compelling its 5 passengers, including the pilot, to sit, curved on the floor, rather than erect, while on its voyage.

It has a single ‘On/Off’ button with which the pilot activate the drive process, using a Playstation video game for control. 

Although its oxygen capacity is said to be for 96 hours, insiders say however, that it has neither been measured nor tested.

Weighing 23,000 lbs and designed to ferry 1,500 lbs, it is said to have the capacity to dive as deep as 4,000 or 13,123ft, about 800m farther than the wreckage of the legendary Titanic, the only 5-passenger sub said to have such diving depth capability.

Given the absence of reliable radio waves in the ocean, the sub uses underwater sound transmission system, employed to help transmit data packets across the ocean to be received aboard a support ship.

In return, the ship uses a hydrophone to collect the acoustically collected data which are converted into understandable information format, including texts and radio.

A former tourist on the ship describes it as having a couple of computer screens of about 21 inches across, with one round window at the end, adding that when visiting the Titanic, tourists take ‘…turns looking out the porthole.’  

For safety reasons, particularly as it affects the ocean’s intense pressure, Titan is built with what is referred to as ‘Real Time Hull Health Monitoring, RTM, system, which analyzes effects of changing pressure on the sub as it dives deeper.

Besides helping to provide early warning detection signals that gives the pilot enough time to return to the surface during emergency, it also comes in handy to accurately assess its structure’s integrity.

Unlike other submersibles, Titan has no internally accessible latch that gives passengers the opportunity to activate exit process from within. Instead, the sub is opened from outside, fastened with as many as 17 bolts, more of a firmly nailed coffin.

During moments of disasters, titan has only one emergency option-rise to the surface as fast as it can.

The ship has about seven ways to get as quickly to the surface. They including releasing the sandbags, heavy heavy construction pipes, inflating air bladders and the legs, all geared towards shedding weight.

Whereas some of the procedures require electricity and or hydraulic systems, others do not. In fact, one of them is said to have the capacity to self activate even when everyone on board is unconscious.