OceanGate – Page 7

OceanGate hits milestone in Titanic effort

Workers survey the scene after a titanium ring is placed on the carbon fiber wound cylinder for Cyclops 2’s pressure vessel. (OceanGate Photo)

OceanGate says it’s completed assembly of the core pressure vessel for its Cyclops 2 submersible vehicle, which is due to take on the first crewed scientific expedition to the Titanic shipwreck in years.

The privately held company, based in Everett, Wash., said in a news release that it’s finished bonding two titanium rings to the ends of a 56-inch-wide, 100-inch-long carbon-fiber cylinder, thus forming the core of the pressure vessel.

Tony Nissen, OceanGate’s director of engineering, said bonding the rings to the cylinder marked a “major milestone” in the construction of Cyclops 2.

“The precision we achieved guarantees that we have a solid foundation to work with as we continue assembly of the sub,” he said.

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OceanGate plans trips to the Titanic in 2018

An artist’s conception shows OceanGate’s Cyclops 2 submersible surveying the wreck of the Titanic. (Andrea Gatti Illustration for OceanGate Expeditions)

OceanGate Expeditions says it’s planning the first crewed scientific expedition to study the wreck of the RMS Titanic in more than a decade.

The expedition team will use OceanGate’s state-of-the-art submersible, the Cyclops 2, and the latest in subsea imaging technology to assess the condition of the disintegrating shipwreck and document artifacts in the debris field.

OceanGate Expeditions is the exploration subsidiary of OceanGate Inc., based in Everett, Wash. The venture brings together explorers, scientists and filmmakers to document iconic shipwrecks, hydrothermal vents and other deep-sea curiosities.

Last year, OceanGate led an expedition to document the wreck of the Andrea Doria, an Italian ocean liner that sank more than 60 years ago off the Massachusetts coast.

Next year’s seven-week Titanic expedition, which is due to begin in May 2018, is envisioned as the first in a series of annual surveys of the Atlantic Ocean’s most famous shipwreck.

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