‘Expedition Unknown’ host passed on Titan sub trip over safety concerns
‘Expedition Unknown’ host passed on Titan sub trip over safety concerns
JOSH GATES, YOU KNOW THE NAME.
HE’S A WELL-KNOWN ADVENTURER AND
EXPLORER, HOST OF THE POPULAR
DISCOVERY SHOW EXPEDITION UNKNOWN.
NOW HE WAS PLANNING TO TAKE A TRIP
AND DO A SPECIAL EPISODE ON THE
TITAN SUB THAT WE’VE ALL BEEN
OBSESSING OVER FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS.
HE CANCELED THE TRIP. WHY?
JOSH JOINS US NOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THIS OPPORTUNITY.
LOOK, THIS IS HARD NEWS TO TAKE FOR
THE FAMILIES, NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
AND THIS ISN’T ABOUT BEING INAPPROPRIATE
AT THE WRONG TIME. BUT THE WHOLE
QUESTION FOR THESE FAMILIES IS GOING TO
BE WHY? WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON
THE RISK? YOU KNOW, THE COST-BENEFIT
ANALYSIS.
YEAH. WE WENT UP TO OCEAN GATE
HEADQUARTERS AND WORKED THE LINES
ALONGSIDE STOCKTON AND TOOK A RIDE IN
TIGHT AND WENT DOWN A SHAKEDOWN DIVE
ON THE SUB TO PUT IT THROUGH ITS PACES.
SO THIS WAS JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE
OCEAN GATE WAS GOING TO TAKE ITS FIRST
SEASON OF PASSENGERS OUT TO TITANIC.
AND, YOU KNOW, I HAD A LOT OF REALLY
EXCITING EXPERIENCES WITH STOCKTON.
IT WAS A THRILLING EXPERIENCE.
TITAN WAS REALLY NOT A VEHICLE, BUT
BY THE END OF THE TRIP, I REALLY JUST
CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THIS
WASN’T FOR ME. AND I’M NOT A GUY WHO
SAYS NO TO DANGEROUS THINGS VERY EASILY.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE PROBLEM
WITH TITAN FOR ME WAS THAT THERE’S
REALLY NOTHING TO BENCHMARK AGAINST.
THIS IS A VEHICLE THAT IS A ONE-OFF.
THERE IS NOTHING ELSE THAT HAS EVER
BEEN BUILT LIKE TITAN TO GO DOWN TO
TITANIC. EVERY OTHER SUB THAT GOES
DOWN TO THESE DEPTHS IS A TITANIUM
OR STEEL ALLOY PRESSURE SPHERE.
TITAN WAS BUILT USING CARBON FIBER.
IT’S A MIRACULOUS MATERIAL.
IT’S WHAT WE BUILD NEXT-GENERATION
AIRPLANES OUT OF, LIKE THE DREAMLINER,
THE A350, AND IT CAN BE 10 TIMES
STRONGER THAN STEEL. BUT IT HAS
TO BE ENGINEERED TO REALLY EXACTING
SPECIFICATIONS, AND THERE ARE A LOT
OF MYSTERIES ABOUT HOW THIS MATERIAL
PERFORMS AT INCREDIBLE PRESSURE IN
TERMS OF THOSE PRESSURE CYCLES AND
FATIGUE, AND IN TERMS OF INCREDIBLY
COLD TEMPERATURES. AND THERE JUST WAS
NO DATA HERE TO MEASURE AGAINST,
SO FOR ME, IT WAS LIKE YOU COULDN’T
EVEN ASSESS THE RISK.
NOW, I DON’T HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS
BECAUSE I WATCH YOUR SHOW. THIS IS
THE SPACE THAT YOU’VE CHOSEN TO LIVE IN
AND SHOW THE REST OF US. BUT ISN’T
THAT HOW IT’S DONE? YOU WANT TO TRY
SOMETHING. IT’S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.
YOU HAVE TO TRY. AND THERE’S NO
BLAME MIGHT. I MEAN, I DON’T SEE
WHY YOU SHOULD GRUDGE IT.
YEAH, I MEAN, LOOK, I DON’T THINK
YOU CAN GRUDGE IT. FIRST OF ALL,
ANYBODY WHO CHOOSES TO TAKE A TRIP
LIKE THIS, I TOTALLY REJECT THE
CRITICISM THAT THE PEOPLE WOULD GO
DOWN TO TITANIC. I THINK THE
TITANIC HOLDS GREAT MEANING FOR
MANY PEOPLE. PEOPLE PH IN OUR
CHALET ON BOARD. TITANIC WAS HIS LIFE.
HE’S ONE OF THE WORLD’S FOREMOST
EXPERTS ON THIS WRECK. AND SO
WHETHER IT’S CLIMBING EVEREST,
WHETHER IT’S BASE JUMPING, WHETHER
IT’S GOING DOWN TO TITANIC,
IF SOMETHING HOLDS GREAT PERSONAL
MEANING FOR YOU, I THINK YOU
SHOULD BE CELEBRATED FOR DOING IT.
AS SOMEONE WHO HAS GONE DOWN TO
WRECKS IN SUBMERSIBLES, LOOK, IT
TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE, A LOT OF
DETERMINATION, AND BRAVERY TO DO
SOMETHING LIKE THAT ABOARD ANY
SUBMERSIBLE. SO I THINK THE
PEOPLE ABOARD TITAN SHOULD
CERTAINLY BE GIVEN A LOT OF
RESPECT FOR THEIR COURAGE. I WILL
ALSO SAY, THOUGH, TO YOUR QUESTION,
LOOK, RISK IS PART OF THE GAME.
I’VE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, INNOVATION AND THE
LEADING EDGE OF INNOVATION AND
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS AND THINGS
LIKE THAT. I TOTALLY AGREE.
I THINK THAT FUTURE RISKS ARE
REQUIRED WHEN INNOVATING,
ESPECIALLY IN INCREDIBLY
DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTS LIKE THIS.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT
THE FACT THAT THERE ARE PASSENGERS
ABOARD. THESE ARE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
I KNOW THAT THEY’RE CALLED MISSION
SPECIALISTS. BUT LOOK, SOME OF THEM
ARE NOT EXPERTS. YOU KNOW, ON OUR
CHALET, CERTAINLY AN EXPERT, BUT WE
HAVE A YOUNG MAN ABOARD THE 7.19, AND
CERTAINLY A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO
WANT TO BOARD WERE, I THINK, WHAT
YOU WOULD CALL, YOU KNOW, MEMBERS
OF THE PUBLIC, RIGHT? AND I THINK
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE THERE. AND I
THINK WE HAVE TO… IT IS A REALLY HARD
MOMENT FOR US BECAUSE MY HEART IS
ABSOLUTELY BROKEN LIKE EVERYBODY
ELSE. I KNEW STOCKTON RUSH. AS I
SAID, I’M A FRIEND, AND I ALSO KNEW
HIM AS HARDING ABOAD. THE SUB WAS
A FELLOW MEMBER OF THE EXPLORERS CLUB.
SO IT’S JUST AN INCREDIBLE LOSS.
BUT I THINK THAT ALONGSIDE THAT
LOSS, AND MAYBE NOT TODAY, BUT I THINK
VERY SOON, WE HAVE TO ASK SOME REAL
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DESIGN AND
DEVELOPMENT OF TITAN AND ABOUT…
