The Titan is about 9 feet high, 8 feet wide, 22 feet long and weighs 25,000 pounds, according to the OceanGate website. The watercraft left from St. John’s, Newfoundland, on Friday and lost contact with the ship that was monitoring it about an hour and 45 minutes later. It usually takes two hours to descend to the wreck.
The submersible’s exterior
The Titan is launched underwater from a platform. Submersibles require a support ship that can launch and recover them, unlike submarines, which are fully autonomous.
Interior of the Titan
The Titan fits five passengers inside the hull, including one pilot and four crewmembers. The hull is made of 5-inch-thick carbon-fiber materials.
Submersible vs. submarine
A submersible is a vessel in the submarine family but smaller and less self-sufficient than the classic military sub.
The 5 passengers on the submersible
Passengers aboard the submersible are British businessman Hamish Harding, Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush and two members of a Pakistani business family Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.
How deep is the Titanic?
The Titanic is about 2½ miles, or 12,500 feet, below the surface.
Titanic wreck location