Titan Bahamas Deep Dive Test
May 16, 2018
Greetings from the Bahamas,
Despite working overtime the last three weeks to battle Mother Nature and an onslaught of unseasonably lousy and windy conditions, plus repairing lightning damage that affected over 70% of the sub's internal electrical systems, the team was unable to complete the first 4000-meter dive at least 45 days prior to the Titanic Survey Expedition. This milestone was a key decision point in our testing timeline and a trigger for a go/no-go decision to conduct the expedition in 2018.
Unfortunately, because of delays caused by weather and lightning, we have run out of time to complete the Titan test plan prior to our deadline. The test plan calls for a series of dives in an incremental stair step approach to reach 4000-meters in a safe and controlled manner.
As a result, we have made decided to reschedule our Titanic Survey Expedition until 2019.
With the breathing room that this give us, we are also postponing further testing of the sub in the Bahamas for a few weeks to give our crew a bit of a break from a series of long days of over the last three weeks.
While we are disappointed by the need to reschedule the expedition, we are not willing to short cut the testing process due to a condensed timeline. We are 100% committed to safety and want to fully test the sub and validate all operational and emergency procedures before launching any expedition. We want to give ourselves every opportunity to safely achieve our goals, with this decision to reschedule, our clients, crew, partners and affiliates now have time to make alternative plans for 2018.
We plan to continue deep sea testing in the Bahamas to reach 4000 meters this summer and conduct additional dives in these waters for the foreseeable future as it prepares for the Titanic Survey Expedition in 2019 and other opportunities to explore around the globe.