Luxury submarine manufacturers have been bracing for collapse after an expedition to the wreck of the Titanic ended in disaster. But there are still enough people with a strong enough spirit of adventure who dream of exploring the abyss of the oceans.
The tragic implosion of OceanGate’s Titan submarine a year ago put a collective pause on deep-sea diving on the RMS Titanic, but an Ohio billionaire is ready to try again.
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Real estate mogul, Larry Connor, at 74, has an unadulterated spirit of adventure, and plans to dive 12,500 feet, to the remains of the world’s most famous cruise ship, to help restore confidence in deep-sea expeditions in the wake of the OceanGate disaster.
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Which is why he also contacted the co-founder Triton Submarines, Patrick Lahey, shortly after the Titan submarine exploded last June, to find out to what extent his company could build a submarine capable of reaching the wreck safely. And he assured him that he would do everything possible to make the project come to life.
Lahey’s determination is not accidental. First of all, it is one of the most experienced submersible operators in the world.
He piloted a submarine to the deepest point of the ocean, more than 35,000 feet below the water’s surface, in the Western Pacific.
In addition, a year ago, after the tragic incident of the Titan, he was the one who not only expressed his belief that the luxury submarine niche would remain alive, but even turned into a spokesperson for the industry.
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Patrick Lahey recalled that he had warned OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush as early as 2018 that he must take all measures to make Titan safe enough to sink to the wreck of the Titanic.
Orders for luxury submarines have fallen
Or, apparently, Rush ignored his advice. The Titan was an unclassified submersible, meaning it was not certified, and was built using experimental designs and materials, such as carbon fiber, that were prone to cracking after repeated dives.
Something that neither Triton, Lahey’s company, nor U-Boat Worx in the Netherlands, are used to doing. And Eyos, another company that operates in the luxury submarine market, rents specimens that already have certification.
Of course, after the Titan incident, the industry suffered. Orders for luxury submarines have fallen, as have the number of those who have chosen to pay millions more to benefit from a seat like the one in an airplane for a dive.
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U-Boat Worx had to let go of almost half of its employees. At Triton, Lahey’s company, things were better from this point of view, but he also admits that before the catastrophe OceanGate had 15 projects in the works, but one was instantly stopped by the future owner, and a few were put on stand-by.
In such a context, the phone call received from Larry Connor appeared. The one who, as I said, is addicted to the adrenaline that extreme adventure gives you. He was, with a submersible, in the Mariana Trench, but he also ended up on the International Space Station.
I want to show people around the world that even though the ocean is extremely powerful, it can be wonderful and enjoyable and provide them with life-changing experiences if they do the right thing and follow the rules,” Connor told Lahey when he expressed his wish for Triton to build a submersible capable of reaching the Titanic.
He and Lahey plan to make the Titanic’s journey together in a two-person ship.
“Patrick has been thinking and designing this for over a decade. But we didn’t have the materials and the technology,” Connor says. “You couldn’t build this submarine five years ago.”
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Now there is a basis. It is the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, which is listed on the company’s website for $20 million.
“4000” represents the depth to which it can be submerged in meters. And the Titanic rests at 3,800 meters. That 15-foot ship has a hydrodynamic silhouette, an acrylic hull, and 10-foot folding wings.
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Connor’s custom successor, which is expected to be designed by summer 2026, will be equipped with lights and cameras for close-up filming and scientific observation.
In addition, the huge acrylic sphere will give the two sailors an unobstructed, 360-degree view of the underwater world.
“The journey takes less than two hours, much faster than was previously possible,” the American company officials note.
Connor also said that he would only embark on the proposed voyage if his submarine is fully certified by a marine organization.
“If we can’t do that, what we call ‘s and s’ — safely and successfully — we just won’t do it,” he concluded.
There is no timeframe for the planned expedition, but Connor expects The Explorer—Return to Titanic to be completed within two and a half to three years.
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