A massive search and rescue mission is now underway in the mid-Atlantic after communication with a small submersible that was exploring the wreck of the Titanic was lost on Sunday. On board the sub were four tourists who each paid $250,000 for the privilege of going down to see the wreck. While many are questioning this sort of tourism, the technical advisor on James Cameron’s iconic film based on the aforementioned passenger liner says that the opportunity to view the ship is there because it’s something people want.
Parks Stephenson not only worked as a technical advisor on the set of James Cameron’s Titanic but also on several of Cameron's subsequent undersea, cinematic adventures. He posted to Facebook shortly after the search for the missing submersible was made public, mostly asking people to not jump to conclusions. He said…
No matter what you may read in the coming hours, all that is truly known at this time is that communications with the submersible have been lost and that is unusual enough to warrant the most serious consideration. I am most concerned about the souls aboard, whose identities have not yet been made public.
Since his initial post was shared, some of those in the submersible have been identified. Hamish Harding, the owner of Action Aviation, and a Pakistani businessman, Shahzada Dawood, and his son, Suleman, are three of the five people who went down in the submersible run by Oceangate Expeditions. The identities of the other two people are not currently known.
The tour of the Titanic wreckage has been offered since 2021, but this was only its third trip, possibly due to the $250,000 per person price tag. Due to the obvious dangers involved, many are reacting to this situation with questions. They're specifically asking if tourism like this, which is potentially very dangerous, should even be offered. However, Parks Stephenson feels that the ability to visit the wreck is there because it’s clearly something that the public wants to know more about. In a follow-up post, Stephenson said…
Please keep the well being of all those potentially affected in your thoughts. They wouldn’t be out there if it wasn’t for the public demand for information regarding this wreck.
Due to the depth of the water and the pressures involved, a search is difficult but is ongoing. The iconic ship's wreckage is actually too deep for your normal Navy submarine. As the search enters its third day, and the submersible had about four days of oxygen, concerns are only growing.
While there has always been mystery and intrigue surrounding the disaster, it's hard to understate just what an impact James Cameron's movie had on interest surrounding the sinking. Titanic became the highest-grossing movie of all time upon its release until it was dethroned by Cameron's own Avatar. While the film's historical accuracy might leave a little something to be desired, there certainly is public interest in the real ship and its real history.
