OceanGate, a provider of manned submersible services, has launched Titan, formerly known as Cyclops 2, manned-submersible capable of reaching Titanic depths of 4000 meters.
Titan is comprised of two major components, a 5-man submersible and an integrated launch and recovery platform.
This tandem is scheduled to undergo sea trials in Puget Sound through March 2018, with deep sea certification in the Bahamas in April. The team will then mobilize to St. John’s, Newfoundland, in late June for the first manned expedition to the RMS Titanic since 2005.
To accomplish this expedition, OceanGate said it has engineered and built Titan using some of the most innovative and advanced technology and material.
According to the company, one of the most significant innovations is Titan’s proprietary real-time health monitoring (RTM) system. Titan is the only known manned research submersible to employ an integrated real-time hull health monitoring system. This onboard health analysis monitoring system provides early warning detection for the pilot with enough time to arrest the descent and safely return to surface, the company explains.
“Safety is our number one priority,” said Stockton Rush , OceanGate CEO. “We believe real-time health monitoring should be standard safety equipment on all manned-submersibles.”
The real-time health monitoring system will make it possible for the team to take a methodical approach to live testing. During the deep-sea certification dives in the Bahamas, Stockton Rush will become the second person in history to dive solo to 4000 meters. These dives will validate the design depth and Titan’s maximum depth dive will be certified by an independent certification organization.
Titan will be equipped with multiple 4K cameras, multibeam sonar for navigation, data tablets with a wireless connection to onboard computer systems, 50 thousand lumens of external light, a laser scanner, and four electric thrusters for maximum maneuverability.
Titan is the second in the series of Cyclops-class submersibles. OceanGate has operated Cyclops 1 since 2015 in three oceans to depths of almost 500 meters.