How does the Titan submersible look from inside? Here are details as oxygen supply dwindles

In a desperate race against time, the search for a missing submersible en route to the Titanic wreckage site entered a critical stage. As the hours ticked away, the oxygen supply on board the small vessel named Titan was rapidly depleting.

Measuring 21 feet (6.5 meters) in length, the tourist craft lost contact with its mothership a mere two hours after embarking on its journey to explore the remnants of the Titanic, resting over two miles (nearly four kilometers) beneath the surface of the North Atlantic.

Due to unfavorable weather conditions, Titan's mission was anticipated to be the sole manned expedition to the Titanic this year, as revealed by Harding on Instagram prior to the incident.


Let's take a glimpse inside the Titan submersible:

The interior of the Titan resembles a cramped metal tube, a few meters long, with a metal sheet serving as the floor. It lacks sufficient space for standing or kneeling, resulting in passengers sitting in close proximity to one another, sometimes even on top of each other.

During the descent and ascent, which takes approximately 2.5 hours, the lights are switched off to conserve energy. The sole source of illumination emanates from a fluorescent glow stick.

OceanGate has faced criticism for employing a basic video game controller to navigate the Titan. However, the company defends its use of off-the-shelf components, emphasizing their reliability. As a precautionary measure, a few spare parts are carried on board.

A previous customer of the company described their dive to the site two years ago as a daring venture.

According to documents filed by OceanGate with a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Virginia, responsible for Titanic-related matters, at least 46 individuals successfully undertook journeys to the Titanic wreck site in 2021 and 2022 using the company's submersible.

The submersible incorporates seven backup systems to facilitate resurfacing, including the deployment of sandbags, the shedding of lead pipes, and an inflatable balloon.

Among the passengers aboard the submersible were British billionaire Hamish Harding and Pakistani tycoon Shahzada Dawood, along with his son Suleman, all of whom hold British citizenship.