A.U.V.s explore the wreck of the Titanic
Mmdi/Getty ImagesGreenwich residents can tour a state-of-the-art submersible vehicle that has recently traveled to the wreckage of the Titanic.
The exhibit is part of an initiative by OceanGate Expeditions and its founder, Stockton Rush. Guests take on the label of crew member or “mission specialist,” and enter the actual vessel that has been to the Titanic wreck. Inside, “crew members” can view 4k footage of the Titanic’s current state and learn about ocean exploration.
“I founded Ocean Gate to expand mankind's understanding of the ocean, and just generally increase ocean awareness,” Rush said. “So as part of that, we developed this submersible that you go and explore half the ocean bottom … We go and do these missions to the Titanic, but when we're done, we have all this amazing content pieces, these 4k videos and films and stories to tell, and we're doing this tour of the sub to spread the word.”
Rush makes it clear: this is not your grandma’s — or, rather, Captain Nemo’s — submarine. It’s a state-of-the art submersible. Submersibles are different from submarines in that submarines operate on their own and submersibles require a support ship, according to the event’s news release.
Rush said the decision to explore the Titanic was easy. He believes it’s the best thing to attract the public to ocean exploration.
“It's the one thing in the ocean that everybody knows, if you if you ask someone named manmade objects in the ocean, or just even named something in the ocean, they're going to say whales, sharks and the Titanic, everything else is way down there, so the Family Feud contest is very short,” he said.
Four or five people will be able to enter the submersible at a time during the event, where they will learn about the vessel and view real footage of deep ocean exploration captured by crew members.
The submersible will travel to Greenwich Water Club, with “expeditions” from 10 a.m.-noon Oct. 29 and 30. Additional tour stops include cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Palm Springs, San Francisco and Seattle. For more information, visit oceangateexpeditions.com.