History was made on July 10, 2021, when Stockton Rush and his team at OceanGate reached the Titanic, at a depth of approximately 4,000 metres, in Titan, the only submersible of its kind. The dive proved it is possible for this unique cylinder-shaped submersible made of carbon fibre and titanium to explore this wreck and the deep ocean. This was a momentous step toward OceanGate’s ultimate vision of expanding humanity’s access to the deep ocean.
Once upon a time, a little boy dreamt of being an astronaut, then Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, and from there Han Solo, commanding the Millennium Falcon. That same boy took apart his stuffed bear to study the mechanism that made the animal talk. When this boy became a young man, he built his own fiberglass plane from a 600-page manual and a kit, starting in his mother’s garage. Decades later, he envisioned a new kind of crewed submersible in a unique shape, utilizing materials not yet used in deep ocean exploration. A submersible that would defy convention and have the potential to democratize ocean exploration. Meet Stockton Rush, founder of OceanGate Expeditions, creator of the Titan submersible.
Stockton is now on a quest. If you’ve heard the phrase, “You can recognize a pioneer by the arrows in his back,” you would recognize Stockton. His determination and confidence have grown into necessary armour.
With an unusually thick shock of grey hair, chiselled features, and piercing blue eyes, his dynamic energy and witty, mad scientist personality burst forth. Wild genius seeps out from his foundation of California laid-back cool, with a veneer of Seattle-style suitability tossed in for the sake of business meetings.
“What makes Titan different from anything ever built?” I ask, setting a match to tinder.
“Essentially, the difference is the carbon fibre and titanium pressure vessel. Carbon fibre is used successfully in yachts and in aviation, but it has not been used in crewed submersibles.”
According to Stockton, this is because of fear. He believes there is no room for innovation because of great fear about using new materials. Given how small the submersible manufacturing space is, and how few new subs are made, there is not a lot of motivation for stretching the envelope. Members are either not used to innovation or not welcoming to a new entrant.
In Stockton’s words: “I’m so far out of the box, that if you are in the box, outside the box looks like a bunch of maniacs. Out of the box maniacs smashing the box.”
“The big push back from the existing players in the industry is that it’s not been done before. And if has not been done before in a crewed vehicle, then where is the guy who is going to risk it? Well… here he is.” – Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of OceanGate.
Dreamers who are doers rank high on my list of favourite kinds of people. Much higher than those who say it can’t be done. Significantly higher than those who judge other people’s dreams.
“How can you put a price on a dream?” says Renata Rojas, an underwater explorer and Mission Specialist on several of OceanGate’s expeditions.
We are onboard the Horizon Arctic to take part in the first round of Titan’s test dives to Titanic. The ship’s crew is constructing a ramp of rollers designed to launch the platform once we are out at sea, 600 kilometres from our dock in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Out the windows of the bridge, brightly coloured cottages tucked into the hills seem a calm juxtaposition from the open ocean that beckons beyond the protected cove.
“It’s a unique opportunity to be an authentic part of an expedition. For me the dream of being an oceanographer, out on the ship, working in the sub – I’m doing it. The whole thing. Not just getting onboard and waiting for my turn. It’s surreal, the people here on this first mission. These are people I’ve read about in books and followed on television, now they are passing down their experiences to me. It hasn’t sunk in yet. The enormity of this.”
The Titanic strikes a deep emotional chord with millions of people. Many aspire to someday explore its secrets or merely visit the site as we are doing now, each day for the next week. Renata has pursued her dream with relentlessness even though she cannot explain it.
“Ever since I was a child, I’ve wanted to go to Titanic. I was maybe 12 years old when I saw the movie, ‘A Night to Remember.’ I was already a diver, with my dad. That’s how I became fascinated with shipwrecks. Titanic had not yet been found. I was drawn to the mystery of it – how could something so big, it was called unsinkable, just disappear from the face of the earth? I became determined to find it. First, I needed to become an oceanographer. So, I applied and enrolled at the maritime academy in New York. But, on Sept. 1st, 1985, just as I’m starting school, I see a picture of a boiler on television. They had found the Titanic. All I could do is cry.”
“I said ‘Okay, I will meet these people and ask them how I can get to Titanic.’ I drove all the way to Massachusetts to hear the person credited with discovering the Titanic speak. I got in line to talk to him. He told me that there would never be another expedition to the Titanic and if that is what I was hoping to do, I would never do it. I left disillusioned and actually changed my career, deciding to become a banker instead. One day I see a front-page photo of William F. Buckley climbing out of a submersible. He isn’t a scientist, he doesn’t have a PhD, he just has money. I thought, ‘Maybe that is what I could do?’ Unfortunately, I did not make that much money. But I did start trying to find out what is the best way to go.”
For years, Renata followed everything she could about Titanic expeditions, and she reached out to people involved in every project. Eventually, someone responded and helped her get a spot on an expedition planned for 2010. She prepared and waited through delays. Then, the expedition was cancelled. Suddenly, there were no submersibles available for expeditions to Titanic’s depth, opportunities for new or existing technology were bleak, and Renata’s dreams were dashed again. Still, she did not give up. In 2014, she was introduced to Stockton and OceanGate. She took part in an expedition to the Andria Doria with them the next year. Titan did not yet exist, but Titanic was in the plan.
“Why Titanic?” I ask Stockton. “We are trying to get more people underwater,” he responds. “There is only one thing underwater that billions of people know what it is, know where it is, and lots of people want to go there: Titanic. That got us focused, if we were going to go to the Titanic, what do we need? We began to assess our existing technology, recognizing that 4,000 metres get you to the Titanic. This led us to decisions around what type of titanium to use, how much carbon fibre, and whether we use an acrylic viewport or glass viewport…. We’ve been working on this launch and recovery system. How do we adapt the launch and recovery system for long-term use at sea?”
The need for a sustainable funding source, combined with a broad interest to explore Titanic, helped drive the creation of new technology.
We depart from St. John’s, at the edge of the closest land mass to the Titanic site, 600 kilometres out into the deep ocean. As we head further out, the near-shore pods of humpback whales and dolphins leaping in the ship’s wake disappear. Rare are the seabirds, save a couple of stragglers who find respite on the back deck after flying without land for days.
The ever-changing cerulean blue of the deep ocean, turquoise and white from engine froth, and charcoal grey with white caps, colours of the North Atlantic were once, 109 years ago, at this very spot where Horizon Arctic now floats 3,798 meters directly above the Titanic.
There is something profound about this dance of technology and innovation. For a week, we are firm, if not ironically, within its embrace. Below is the Titanic, whose feats of engineering represented the best minds of its time. Preparing for the first dive, there is a buzz of activity around Titan. Both the platform and the sub are soon to make technological history, representing a fresh pushing of the envelope, paving the way for increased access to deep sea exploration.
The culture onboard the Horizon Arctic is one of respect and dialogue, adjustments for safety, and consistent problem-solving. From the ship’s captain to cadet interns, in OceanGate’s twice-daily briefings, the eagerness of each person on the team to pitch in is palpable. We are greeted each dawn with fresh coffee, a hot hearty breakfast, and an abundance of cheer from the supremely talented kitchen crew. Lunch, dinner, an actual BBQ, homemade cookies, pies, cakes, and all-day snacks. We were all more than well-fuelled for the days and nights ahead.
A lot of progress is made on this first mission. There are plenty of frustrating disappointments, but always moving forward, and always have calm and positive energy.
On the last night, some of us gather on the upper deck under a cloudy sky, hoping to see a sunset. The air is damp and surprisingly warm, thanks to the Gulf stream winding through this part of the North Atlantic. We laugh and tell stories; someone picks up a guitar and plays a song. The conversations are honest and include everyone. After we reach St. John’s, some of us will go home, but most will stay for the next several weeks. A new crew will arrive, and forward momentum will continue.
The wind picks up as I walk up to the upper catwalk around the bridge. Looking out over the endless sea, I can’t help but wonder what it must have felt like to be tossed from the safety of my vessel out into the wild water beneath me. In April, with no warm current, among ice floats, in the pitch-black night. I reach for the slim white railing, feeling a sudden surge of vertigo. It’s difficult to reconcile the tragedy that took place here more than one hundred years ago with the science and technology innovator the site has become. I want to stay for the rest of the summer, to tell all the stories as they unfurl before me. For now, I must return home, to my family and do other work.
The day after we return home, history is made. Titan meets Titanic on the ocean floor, accomplishing an important milestone in ocean exploration. P.H Nargeolet, former French Naval Commander, who has led five prior Titanic expeditions and has visited the Titanic over thirty times, participated in each of the test dives and he was on the first dive to reach the site.
“This recent dive is one of the most memorable dives I have ever done,” he says. “Being able to participate in the deployment and operation of such a ground-breaking sub reminded me of the challenges my team overcame and the determination they exhibited in the development of the Nautile over 35 years ago.”
While the team met the goal of reaching the Titanic, there are still adjustments to be made before the next round of missions can continue. For Renata, that means waiting another year as she must return to her day job. She remains undeterred.
“I want to see the ship. It’s almost like I lost a part of me in another life and I’m trying to find it. I have a magnetic connection to it. I can’t explain it—all I know is that I have to go down and be there. What do I expect to find? I don’t know. Maybe, myself.”
Throughout history, innovation is a process, not an overnight thrill. Success is not actually sweeping but measured in moments – moments when people risk more than they expect, where every participant is tested beyond what they think they are capable of. True innovation is not simply an idea, but a heroic effort by visionaries, leaders, and teams committed to keep going despite setbacks, in the face of slim odds, and regardless of the powerful chorus of those who say it can’t be done. In the case of Stockton Rush’s Titan the submersible meeting Titanic? Mission accomplished.
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