Designed to dive to 13,000 feet to give researchers greater access to the unexplored depths of the world’s oceans, OceanGate is putting the finishing touches to its new submersible, Titan.
The five-person sub is the only privately-owned submersible in the world that can reach these depths. The sub will be used for site surveys, research collection, film production and deepwater testing.
Taking advantage of Washington’s expertise in composites, hydrodynamics and shipbuilding, the sub has the largest viewport in its class. The body is made of composites and is built in two sections – the five-man sub and the integrated launch and recovery platform that serves as a self-contained dry dock for the sub. This allows the pilot to flood the ballast tanks of the integrated dive system and then release the platform once the dive team reaches 30 feet. When the dive is over, the process is reversed, allowing redocking to the platform without the need for a dive recovery team.
One revolutionary aspect of the sub its real-time hull health monitoring system, or RTM. The RTM can analyze the effects of changing pressure on the vessel in real time to give early warning of any issue that would require a mission to abort and return to the surface.
After successful tests in Washington State waters, Titan is destined for the Bahamas for deepwater testing. From there, the ship will set off for its first actual mission, surveying the Titanic. Additional voyages to other famous ships are on the horizon, once Titan is taken through its paces at depth.
Read more in Geekwire.