Previous passenger on doomed submarine says Titanic adventure tourism is at an end
HALIFAX – A German man who was one of the first clients to successfully descend to the wreck of the Titanic a week ago aboard a submarine that was destroyed by an implosion believes that the tragedy will put an end to adventurous in the near future tourism at the location.
Arthur Loibl made the journey on Titan in 2021 with submarine company CEO Stockton Rush and French Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet. Both men were among five people killed in the catastrophic incident that sparked a frantic international search in a remote area of the North Atlantic for most of last week.
British billionaire Hamish Harding and Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son Suleman were also killed.
“I think this kind of public tourism died out last week,” Loibl said in a telephone interview on Sunday. “I think it’s going to be a very long time before anyone tries again. They will have to make a submarine that is much safer and that costs a lot of money.”
The 60-year-old retired businessman and adventurer from Straubing, near Munich, said he welcomes news that Canada’s Transport Safety Board has launched an investigation into “all aspects” of the tragedy. The RCMP also said on Saturday it would launch a preliminary investigation to determine whether a criminal investigation is necessary.
“I think it would be really good if they do this because I think there were a lot of problems… and it shouldn’t happen again,” Loibl said.
The Titan had an unconventional carbon fiber hull, and marine engineers have drawn attention to the fact that the ship was never “classified” or certified by an independent third party to ensure it met certain safety standards. In 2018, a group of engineers wrote a letter warning that the company’s “experimental” approach could have “catastrophic” consequences.
When asked what should change as a result of an investigation, Loibl said ships like Titan should at least be certified.
He said the submarine encountered problems with its battery and balancing weights during its voyage, turning a normal eight-hour journey into more than 10 hours due to the 90 minutes of repairs required. The crew of five remained bolted to the vehicle while repairs took place.
“It’s not comfortable, it’s just a bottom (floor) where you have to sit and you can only stay on your knees, you can’t stand,” he said. “There are small windows where only one or two people can see out and you sit very close together, legs over legs. You really don’t have room in the submarine.”
Loibl said he was never scared, but admits to having been nervous during the 2.5-hour descent to the wreck site – supplemented with minimal lighting to save battery power.
“You really don’t hear anything. It’s quiet…when you’re not talking to each other, it’s absolutely quiet,” he said.
But everything changed once Titan arrived at its destination, he added.
“When we got to the bottom I was happy and after 20 minutes when I saw the Titanic I was really happy. My mood changed because it was a dream come true.
He described seeing the colossal wreck up close as “amazing” due to the ship’s history and the fact that only a small number of people in the world have done it.
Loibl called the experience a “unique adventure in my life.” Yet he has conflicting emotions seeing what happened.
“Looking back on it, I’m really glad I survived,” he said. “I am very sad that my two friends PH(Nargeolet) and Rush passed away. I feel very bad because I felt like this could have happened to me.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 25, 2023.
