I’m going to put on white gloves, which I slip on up to my elbows, to write this column. Let’s talk about Titanthis mini-submarine which has been missing since Sunday, since it dived to show wealthy customers the wreck of the titanic in the North Atlantic.
The chances that the five people who sat in the Titan are found alive are microscopic.
One, finding the submersible is the equivalent of looking for the proverbial needle in the legendary haystack.
Two, even if found, successful submarine rescue operations at these depths are extremely rare. These operations are said to be staggeringly complex.
Three, if the Titan is stuck against the wreckage of the titanic bogged down in the bottom of the North Atlantic, an atrocious death awaits the five occupants, waiting for the supply of oxygen to run out, in complete darkness.
Four, if the mini-submarine – which was not certified by any competent authority – gave way under the immense pressure of the ocean, the occupants had the grace of an extremely fast death, the equivalent of turn off the light.
Canadian and American ships, aided by military aircraft, are currently trying to locate the Titan, which was apparently not equipped with an emergency beacon. Huge efforts are underway to try to save the lives of the five people on board the Titan. I have nothing against these efforts, it is about human lives: you will not hear me denounce the cost of these efforts.
Now, I put white gloves on top of my white gloves: these people ran after their loss, through their very, very big fault and above all, for absolutely nothing.
For example, we learned that OceanGate Expeditions fired an employee who sounded the alarm a few years ago about design flaws in the Titan1. A 2022 CBS report shows how lightly OceanGate Expeditions took the safety of its submersible2.
Pay US$250,000 for the privilege of exploring the wreckage of the titanic in a bric-a-brac submarine, it’s a bit like going car surfing : You should know that this might not end well. At least the teenagers who hurt themselves trying to defy the laws of physics sitting on the roof of a Honda Civic have the excuse of being young and crazy.
I have nothing against adventure. I have nothing against discovery. I have nothing against danger: sometimes the game of danger is worth the candle.
Take for example the line of Swiss explorers Piccard: the New Yorker3 made a fascinating portrait last fall of the grandson, Bertrand, who successfully completed the first circumnavigation of the globe at the controls of an aircraft powered entirely by solar energy. It was a dangerous expedition that aimed to advance clean technology: we can say that it is an excellent reason to risk your life… For those who are interested.
There is also James Cameron, the director of Hollywood films (whose titanic…), who in 2012 plunged deeper into the oceans than any human before him, on a scientific mission4 under the aegis of National Geographic : the exploration of ocean trenches is in its infancy.
But paying US$250,000 to look at the wreckage of the most famous cruise ship in history, the wreckage that was the tomb of 1,500 people, without advancing science or knowledge?
It’s as pointless as dying falling off a cliff in the Grand Canyon trying to take a better selfie, a monumental ego trip for the ultra-rich who no longer knows how to have fun with his millions. It’s the equivalent of killing yourself playing Russian roulette.
(I’m excluding billionaire Shahzada Dawood’s 19-year-old son, Suleman, from my reasoning: he should have been protected from this fatal odyssey by his father.)
Last week, a migrant boat overturned when the Greek navy made the dubious decision to tow it: 500 migrants, the unlucky ones in the lottery of life, drowned trying to escape their miserable conditions5.
That is a tragedy.