Another billionaire is reportedly planning an expedition to the wreck site of the Titanic just years after the disaster that befell the OceanGate Titan sub.
Larry Connor has said in the past that he wants to prove that the terrible incident that led the submersible to collapse under the extreme pressure of the Atlantic Ocean was a one-off.
He wants to prove that using safe submersibles and taking the necessary precautions can mean that research and exploration trips can be undertaken without the threat of tragedy.
Who is Larry Connor and why does he want to dive to the Titanic?Larry Connor is a billionaire from Ohio who made his money in real estate.
He also has a keen interest in deep-sea exploration, having made several journeys into the deepest parts of the ocean in the past.
Now, he is building a $20m submersible capable of carrying two passengers 12,400ft to the bottom of the ocean to the final resting place of the Titanic, which sank after striking an iceberg in April 1912.
His expedition would be the first private excursion to the wreck site since the OceanGate Titan suffered a catastrophic implosion in June 2023, claiming the lives of five people: OceanGate founder Stockton Rush, British adventurer Hamish Harding, French national Paul-Henri Nargeolet and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood.
Last year, Connor told the Wall Street Journal: “I want to show people worldwide that while the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and really kind of life-changing if you go about it the right way.”
Accompanying Connor on board the vessel will be Triton Submarines co-founder Patrick Lahey, an outspoken critic of OceanGate’s practices.
Speaking to MirrorOnline, maritime expert Rob McCallum - who has himself been to the Titanic site - said that Connor wants to prove that the OceanGate Titan debacle was an ‘outlier’.
He said: “Larry has dived to Challenger Deep and Sirena Dee, the two deepest places in the Mariana Trench.
“He appreciates the value of submersibles as science platforms and he understands the level of engineering and quality control that goes into building a classed submersible.
“In the wake of the Titan disaster he wanted to demonstrate that there is demonstrated way of building safe and efficient submersibles capable of diving at any depth.”
The wreck of the Titanic shocked the world in the early 20th century, but continues to grab the public imagination to this day.
The blockbuster 1997 James Cameron film that told the story of the sinking brought the Titanic back for another generation, right down to the scene that has drawn the most controversy over the years.
At the wreck site, there are stark reminders of the loss of life, even if there aren’t many human remains anymore, for a pretty grim reason.
It’s things like that the mean the Titanic will continue to compel people until it eventually disappears.
Expeditions like the doomed OceanGate Titan have only served to add to the mystery and intrigue of the wreck and spark others to make the journey to the depths of the cold Atlantic Ocean.