Titan Submersible Plunged into Exotic, Dangerous World on the way to Titanic
This summer I selected to research some of Joel Achenbach’s columns, Joel writes about science and politics for The Washington Post. Right out of the gate, I could tell that Joel’s writing style is very straightforward and he doesn’t beat around the bush. He gets his opinion and the facts on the topic out but in a very respectful, informative manner. One thing that stood out to me the most about Joel’s writing is that they don’t have a lot of bias, if any. One column I read written by Joel talks about the submersible that went missing on it’s way to view the remains of the Titanic wreckage.
This column that I read from Joel is titled, “Titan submersible plunged into exotic, dangerous world on the way to Titanic” and it speaks about the submersible, Titan, that went missing. This submersible was on it’s way down to view the wreckage of the Titanic but lost connection with the ship up above only 1 hour and 45 minutes into its 2 and a half hour dive. Joel stated in his writing, “I think we all agree that going somewhere that has 400 times the pressure in the atmosphere is a dangerous thing to be doing” to express that these 5 people definitely knew this was a risky adventure. From Joel’s writing, I can infer that he thinks this was a dumb idea and he wouldn’t personally partake in this journey, “The very deep sea is a forbidding, almost alien environment, inhabited only by odd, eyeless creatures that have adapted to pressures that could instantly crush the most advanced Navy submarine.”
Since this article was written on June 22, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding OceanGate, Titan, and the lost lives of the 5 victims. There have been many articles, not necessarily written by Joel, about this risky journey. One of these articles specifically speaks about how the families of the victims are going to sue OceanGate because they feel they are liable for the five deaths.
Discussion Question: If you personally had the option to take a trip down to the Titanic’s wreckage, would you go? Do you believe it is justified for these families to be suing OceanGate? Even though these 5 victims signed a liability waiver prior to their trip?
Personally I don’t think I would take the opportunity, I think that the Titanic is an amazing story and catches the attention of many but it’s never been something I’ve been too interested in unlike these people. Clearly these people knew the risks and wanted to take it in order to have the chance of a lifetime which makes no sense as to why the families would sue Ocean Gate. They should have been completely sure of the risks and what could happen before, the family as well. Nothing in this situation could be guaranteed so liability waiver or not the families should not be suing.
Personally, I would not be interested in going on the Titan, especially given its rather cheap design and the risky expedition. Legally, I do not think that Oceangate is, in any way, libel for the death of the 5 victims. They signed a waiver stating that they were aware of the potential risks and that the company was not responsible for potential injury. However, from an ethical perspective, it is less concise. Obviously, they did not intend for what happened to happen, but they are, to some degree, accountable. In hindsight, the incident, their business model, and the janky design feel like a quick money grab rather that has no regard for the potential impact it could have. So while I don’t think they’re legally responsible, I think that the business had a lot of questionable morals.
As great as an opportunity it may be, I do not think I would risk my life to ride on the Titan. Knowing the fate of the Titanic, and how deep the ship had sunk, there is way too large of a chance I would not come back alive. I believe that the families do deserve to sue. Despite the fact they signed the waiver knowingly, I believe that the company was aware of the fatal risks and still decided to perform the mission.
I specifically don’t think that I would take a trip down to the titanic in the Titan Submersible because it was never before used like this and also explores waters that we don’t know everything there is to know about them. The ocean is such an unknown place, that even the most well explored areas could hold unimaginable dangers and discoveries. That being said, I think it is justified that the families are suing Ocean gate even though they signed a liability waiver. This is because the waiver they signed was in regards to accepting the risk of going down there, not about accepting the risk of Ocean Gate ignoring defaults and not doing proper testing, deliberately not ensuring their safety too the best of their ability.
Personally, if I was given the opportunity to take a trip down to see the Titanic’s wreckage, I would not. When comparing the potential pros and cons of going on a dive like this, the bad will always outweigh the good. Even if the trip was successful, I would look at it honestly as a waste of time. Between the trip out to where the dive took place, the actual dive itself, and then the trip back, I would be missing out on real things happening with my family and friends. Since these 5 victims signed a liability waiver prior to their trip, I believe that it is not justified for their families to be suing OceanGate. The people that went on this trip were 100% aware of the risks that it held and still decided to go.
The cons most certainly outweigh the pros when considering the trip down to the wreckage of the titanic. I would not have gone on that trip, because it was the first of it’s kind, however I would go on the trip if it had been done successfully many times. I am not aware of the specific details that went wrong with the Oceangate Titan, so I am not sure whether the families are justified to sue the company. Since the passengers signed their life away on the waiver, they should not be able to sue the company, however, if Oceangate knew it was bound to go fatally wrong and they lied to the passengers, then the families should be able to sue.
I personally would not go down to the titanic if I had the opportunity. I think that there is too much which could go wrong and I am also scared of the deep ocean so it would not be a fun trip for me. I do think it’s justifiable that they are suing Ocean Gate because the submarine imploding was not a regular hazard of the trip. The sub was unsafe due to negligence on the part of the owners which would void the waiver they signed. You would also expect the sub to follow all the industry norms for safety but the owner said on camera multiple times that he did not do that which is another reason the contract would be voided.
Given the option, I would not take a trip to the Titanic’s wreckage. Being well over 10,000 feet below sea level is not a good idea as there is a lot that could go wrong. Before it set out for the Titanic, there were already problems with the submersible that had been overlooked. I don’t believe it is justified for the families of the victims to sue OceanGate. They signed a waiver stating they understood the risks. While they may not have intended for the submersible to implode, they still should have understood it was a possibility. Everyone is responsible for their own actions, and should do research before doing something dangerous.
If I had the opportunity I would not travel down to the titanic. I feel personally that there were too many issues that could have gone wrong that would be completely out of anyone’s control and that is unfortunately exactly what happened. These people who decided to take this journey had this opportunity to risk their lives and that is what they did. They accepted these risks when they signed the waivers and if they were not 100% sure in their decision then they should not have done so. The families have the right to be upset over what happened but suing OceanGate would not be justified because these people signed away that right in the liability waiver and they can’t change their mind because they didn’t get the outcome they were hoping for.
If I had the chance to go on the expedition, I would not have taken it. There were many things that were bound to go wrong on the sub, as they did not have proper equipment and no one else has attempted the feat of exploring the titanic in a submarine. Although this may be the case, I do not think that the families have the right to sue the company. A waiver was signed, which means that the passengers agreed to terms with what could go wrong.