Readers respond to last week’s Feedback Friday topic, which was:
Titan Submersible Lost: Thoughts on Extreme Exploration
Posted June 23, 2023
Sadly, Thursday afternoon’s press conference with the U.S. Coast Guard and international personnel revealed the finding of a debris field on the ocean floor, believed to the wreckage of the OceanGate submersible Titan. It is believed that the exploration vessel imploded with five onboard (one pilot, four crew), as it descended toward the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the North Atlantic.
Missing since Sunday, the story of the Titan submersible has gripped the international exploration community and news cycle this week. Hope remained that the vessel, which carried a 96-hour oxygen supply, could be recovered in time for a healthy return of its passengers.
The unfortunate conclusion of this situation begs more questions than answers. Why would someone knowingly submit themselves to such an extreme situation? Why was this submersible, with potentially known safety issues, cleared to dive? With a $250K “ticket price” per passenger, was this a case of wealth, bravado, and greed over instinct and intuition?
Certainly, it’s a very tragic outcome to a very risky situation.
What do you think of the Titan submersible tragedy and do you think this will lead to improved regulation of the extreme exploration tourism industry? Can it be regulated? Why or why not?
Here’s what you said:
These Billionaires will continue to do what they want under the guise of "science" or ", "exploration" , we should all know it was neither. The greater concern for me is, who pays to clean up their messes? The multi-national rapid response, at great expense and peril for those involved should be covered by those Billionaire's responsible! An Insurance policy to cover costs of cleanup should be mandatory, or a waiver that allows no response?
Kenneth Van Hooijdonk, Crownsville
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