4 Reasons Why We Care So Much About Titan
The rights to this picture belong to OceanGate Expeditions.
If you are following the news, even in the slightest, you have probably heard about OceanGate Expeditions’ lost submersible – submersibles are different than submarines, in that submarines have enough power to leave port and come back to port by their power, but submersibles need another vessel to launch them into the sea and take them back to the port – that had five passengers on board.
As one now, there is a search-and-rescue operation going on to find the people trapped in this catastrophic sub.
It has become a global news attraction, with probably millions of people following the next steps.
Among the many maritime incidents that happen numerously, this one holds so much magnetism for us for these reasons:
1. The name of Titanic
The Titanic incident is a well-known story – a real one. Everyone knows about it. Everyone heard about it. And more importantly, we have the movie Titanic. A dramatization of the passengers’ experiences who were doomed to be on that humongous ship at that unfortunate time in history.
The movie Titanic was a box office phenomenon in 1997, and it still holds popularity among all of us – Kudos to the extraordinary James Cameron.
And what was this submersible looking for? The wreckage of the sank Titanic. So when there is the popularity of the name Titanic attached to this gone-wrong voyage of fascination, we inevitably direct our eyes toward this unfortunate incident.
2. The ultra-rich on board
Living in a capitalist world, we are fascinated by the rich and their mad curiosity. And this sub holds rich people. Every sit for this journey costs 250,000 dollars. That’s quite a lot of money, and only millionaires and billionaires are capable of affording such cash.
The people on board include Stockton Rush, the 61-year-old CEO of OceanGate Expeditions; Hamish Harding, the 58-year-old adventurous British Billionaire; the 77-year-old Paul-Henry Nargeolet, a curious former French Navy Commander; and the 48-year-old Pakistani-British tycoon Shahzada Dawood, and his 19-year-old teenager Suleman.
I must say that regardless of how rich or poor you are, being in such circumstances (trapped in a claustrophobic tube almost 4 km away from sea level and with no communication with the outside) is awfully horrible, so we as humans must sympathize and understand the hardship of the situation.
3. Claustrophobia in the depths of the Atlantic
Just imagine how scary it is to be trapped in your apartment’s elevator for minutes. It’s a small space, and you don’t know at what level you are.
Maybe you’re stuck between the floors or maybe 1 or 2 meters below the ground level. You may be able to call someone or push that alert button on the elevator. You are going to be rescued in a matter of minutes- or hours- and you are still so close to the people.
Now imagine these poor wealthy people – sad juxtaposition – stuck in a minuscule and tube-like submersible 12,500 feet (3800 meters) – maybe more, now – in the vastness and darkness of the unknown depths of the Atlantic. They can’t use their text massaging (the only tool in the sub for communication), and there is no interaction with the outside world. God forbid if one of them has claustrophobia (probably not, given the fact that they volunteered to be there).
For me, it’s the worst nightmare. I’m afraid to be on an elevator, let alone stuck in such a disaster.
So the scariness of it is what makes it bitterly exciting, thinking about how you would’ve reacted if you were stuck instead of them.
4. Contribution to the Search-and-rescue mission
The rights to this picture belong to OceanGate Expedition.
And also, the possibility of rescue is adding to the attraction. Although we are not there, if they are rescued, we will feel so triumphant for the achievement. Being involved gives us the illusion that we were also a part of it. I mean, we could somehow contribute, though; the explosion of Twitter trends and our anticipation motivates the rescuers and private and governmental organizations to do more for the operation. So it is the feeling of involvement in a significant event.
It’s as if Titanic has become a source of tragedy for the ultra-rich.
