Time has run out for the five “Titanic tourists” lost at sea in the North Atlantic, but rescuers continue to search for the out-of-contact vessel.
The “Titan” submersible, owned and operated by the adventure travel company OceanGate, has been missing since its launch off Newfoundland on June 16. The vessel descended to the Titanic’s remains about 370 miles off the Atlantic Coast and lost communications with its support team.
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With the Titan equipped to provide oxygen for only 96 hours, and five days elapsed since its launch, rescue efforts continue to locate its five passengers – OceanGate Expeditions chief executive officer Stockton Rush, U.K. billionaire Hamish Harding, French adventurer Paul Henry Nargeolet, and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son, Sulaiman.
Now, one would-be Titan passenger is speaking up after pulling out of the trip.
Multi-millionaire Chris Brown told The Sun, a UK media outlet, he had put down a $10,000 down payment along with Harding to join the OceanGate expedition but passed due to safety concerns.
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The pair decided to make the trip after discussing the Titanic tour at a 2016 party hosted by U.K. billionaire Richard Branson. “I was one of the first people to sign up for this trip with OceanGate while the submersible was being developed,” Brown said.
Once he was made aware of the vessel's “off-the-shelf" components, Brown decided to cancel the trip.
“I found out they used old scaffolding poles for the sub’s ballast — and its controls were based on computer game-style controllers,” Brown told The Sun. “If you’re trying to build your own submarine you could probably use old scaffold poles. But this was a commercial craft.”
Given repeated failed attempts to launch the Titan, missed launch deadlines, and the fact a $40 video game controller operated the submersible, Brown had seen enough.
“Eventually I emailed them and said, ‘I’m no longer able to go on this thing’,” he added. “I asked for a refund after being less than convinced.”
(I) “decided the risks were too high in this instance, even though I’m not one to shy away from risk,” he added.
Like everyone else following the rescue efforts, Brown can now only watch and hope.
“I feel really upset about Hamish,” he said.
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