Titanic: American billionaire plans daring Titanic expedition to prove possibilities
One year after a tragic deep dive voyage claimed the lives of five people, a 74-year-old American billionaire and real estate tycoon from Ohio, Larry Connor has announced plans to take a deep-sea submersible to the Atlantic to prove that a manned trip to the wreckage of the Titanic is possible.
The founder of the luxury estate investment firm Coroner Group will be accompanied by the founding partner of Triton Submarines, Patrick Lahey, one year after the doomed voyage of OceanGate’s Titan sub.
Recall that in June 2023, five people, including OceanGate CEO Stockon Rush, businessman Shahzada Dawood and his teenage son Suleman, billionaire entrepreneur Hamish Harding, and explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet, all died in the implosion of the Titan sub at around 3,500m below the sea level.
Connor said he and Patrick Lahey, co-founder of Triton Submarines, will both plunge more than 12,400 feet, or roughly 2.3 miles, to the same shipwreck site in a $20 million luxury two-person submersible – the Lahey-designed Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, Connor said he wants to show the world that although the ocean is mighty, it can be enjoyable and life-changing if you do it the right way.
He said, “Patrick has been thinking about designing this for over a decade, but we didn’t have the materials and technology.”
“You couldn’t have built this sub five years ago.”
Lahey was one of the leaders who criticized the company during the OceanGate disaster, accusing it of questionable safety standards regarding the adventure and calling it ‘quite predatory.’
However, the 74-year-old billionaire has not stated when Voyage to the Titanic will begin
Recall that Nigerian businessman and senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko, claimed he could have lost his life alongside the tourists on the ill-fated underwater trip to see the Titanic wreck had he not opted out of the voyage.
Nwoko revealed he and his deceased friend Hamish Harding, one of the victims, had gone on a few exploits together and were meant to go and see the Titanic wreck via the Titan but he opted out owing to national duties.
“We both went on a very dangerous expedition to the Southpole Antarctica a few years back. He was a gulf stream pilot who flew across the world in a record-breaking expedition by Guinness world record for circumnavigation of the earth some years ago,” Nwoko said.
“He descended into the Mariana. He also invited me on his space shuttle last year and this very Titan ill-fated adventure but I was tied down with national duties.
“Above all, he was a partner in various research projects on the eradication of malaria in Africa. He was very enthusiastic about it and always gave his support at every given opportunity.
“His last message to me was this last Sunday when he told me they were ready to dive into the Titanic if the weather permits. He loved adventure and challenges.
“My heart bleeds for his dear wife and kids who have become family friends over the years. We will surely miss his wealth of experience.”
