Titanic to be surveyed by local Everett Company – Everett Post

OceanGate’s deep-sea submersible “Titan”, which is used to examine the wreckage of the RMS Titanic.

Everett-based OceanGate will begin its RMS Titanic expedition debut in four days, according to its website. The company provides manned diving equipment and expertise for commercial, research and military applications. The trip called Titan will consist of explorers and citizen researchers undertaking a 3,800 meter (12,800 feet) dive below the surface of the North Atlantic to the final resting place of the RMS Titanic. Recent evidence has shown that the wreck is deteriorating at high speed, accelerating efforts to chronify and monitor the wreck that remains above the seabed.

The crew will depart from St. John’s Newfoundland with scientists, content experts and mission specialists who will join the crew in a multi-year series of weeklong missions with a total of 18 dives. You will use the latest underwater technologies to digitally measure, document and assess the current condition of the shipwreck. Specifically, high resolution 4K deep sea cameras and a 3D sonar scanner to advance the science of the RMS Titanic and its rate of degradation on the ocean floor. OceanGate has expanded its arsenal of deep-sea submersibles to include two new submarines that can dive up to 6,000 meters (3.7 miles) deep, which is a mile deeper than the wreck.

UThe 40 crew members assigned to exploration include the newly inducted U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame and physician Dr. Scott Parazynski. Parazynski is no stranger to adventure. He has manned five space shuttle flights, initiated seven space walks and even climbed Mount Everest. “Being part of the first expedition team on the Titanic Survey Expedition is a great opportunity. I look forward to demonstrating the cutting edge underwater technology that will transform the way we explore our deep oceans, ”said Dr. Scott Parazynski. The NASA astronaut believes the mission will have its challenges, but within those challenges lies a catalyst for innovation.

Alongside Parazynski, the two-time member of the Titanic expedition team, Rory Golden will be an expedition expert during the expedition. He was part of the Titanic expeditions and dives in 2000 ‘and 2005’. “I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Titanic,” Golden said in an interview. “We were in the front, near the bow, slowly climbing a steel wall that was covered with rivets and rustics.” Golden described the moment as a rush of emotions. “You are excited, amazed and at the same time you feel a deep sadness for all those who have been lost.”

Astronaut Scott Parazynski anchored on a footrest at the end of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System during his 7-hour, 19-minute space walk on the International Space Station on November 3, 2007.

Six missions are planned for this summer. Each participating citizen scientist will set out at sea as a Mission Specialist crew member for 8 days and undertake an 8 to 10 hour dive as part of a team of 5. The team consists of a sub-pilot, a technical expert and three mission specialists.

Some of the objectives of the mission are to complement the work of previous scientific expeditions to collect data and images for further scientific study of the site. As already mentioned, the crew will scan the shipwreck and parts of the debris field using the latest multi-beam sonar, laser scanning and photogrammetric technology. Finally, the crew documents the flora and fauna of the wreck to compare it with data collected on previous scientific expeditions to better assess changes in habitat and maritime cultural heritage.

Click here to learn more about OceanGate and their Titanic Survey Expedition.