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THE BOW OF TITANIC AS PHOTOGRAPHED FROM OCEANGATE INC.’S INNOVATIVE SUBMERSIBLE. PHOTO COURTESY OF OCEANGATE EXPEDITIONS (OCEANGATEEXPEDITIONS.COM)
from NWY June 2022
TITAN
TITAN OF
INDUSTRY
EVERETT-BASED OCEANGATE INC. IS CHARTING THE COURSE FOR MODERN DAY OCEANIC EXPLORATION AS ITS PIONEERING SUBMERSIBLE, TITAN, DESCENDS INTO THE DEPTHS THIS MONTH ON ITS SOPHOMORE EXPEDITION TO CHRONICLE THE WRECKAGE OF RMS TITANIC.
BY KATE CALAMUSA
IN 2021, EXPEDITION MEMBERS PHOTOGRAPHED THE BOW OF TITANIC FROM ABOARD THE SUBMERSIBLE.
ALL FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY BY OCEANGATE EXPEDITIONS (OCEANGATEEXPEDITIONS.COM)
THE 22-FOOT-LONG, 10,000 POUND TITAN WAS DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED HERE IN THE NORTHWEST.
When Stockton Rush, CEO and founder of Everett-based OceanGate Inc., first discovered deep sea scuba diving almost 20 years ago, he was immediately taken by the amazing topography, astounding creatures, and awe-inspiring wreckage found hiding under the ocean surface. You could say that Rush was already born with a spirit for adventure— he once aspired to be an astronaut and at age 19 was considered the youngest jet transport rated pilot in the world—but it only took a few dives for the mysteries of the briny deep to pivot his attention from the skies to the seas.
-Stockton Rush, CEO and Founder of OceanGate Inc. and Titanic Expedition Leader
“I had thought space was my calling, but what I realized was that I really wanted to be an explorer, to discover new things, find new life forms, to see things another human being hasn’t ever seen before,” he says. “And the oceans really are the last uncharted frontier. There is still so much to be discovered.” But, as much as Rush loved diving, he was less enthused by the cumbersome gear that came with it, not to mention the challenging conditions posed by the cold Pacific Northwest waters and the isolation he felt underwater from other divers. He went looking for a small submarine or submersible he could rent out for his dives instead, but quickly hit a dead end. This prompted him to purchase an unfinished hull from California and retrofit it to his needs. That prototype took its first dive in Desolation Sound, and soon, Rush began to see a vision for the future: “Diving in a sub is so different, there is a team aspect to it; that’s when I start thinking of how to get more people underwater to experience the ocean for themselves.” OceanGate Inc. was thus founded in 2009, with Rush working over the years to create a business platform and the compatible submersibles and support systems that would open up oceanic exploration not only to more researchers and scientists, but also to passionate individuals from all walks of life. Fast-forward to 2021 when Rush did just that. Last summer, OceanGate Inc. along with its sister organizations—OceanGate Expeditions and nonprofit arm OceanGate Foundation— made headlines around the world after releasing images from their expedition to the wreck site of none other than RMS Titanic, the first in a multi-year longitudinal study. “The wreck itself is so colorful. The metal rusticles are a vivid red, and there are the greens and blues that have come from the copper and brass elements on the ship,” recalls Rush of his first impression at viewing the sight. “It’s a palette of beautiful colors—it’s like looking at abstract art.” Brought to life in stunning 4K resolution, the captivating imagery was all taken from aboard Titan, the primary research vessel for the 2021 Expedition and the world’s only five-person manned submersible capable of reaching a depth of 4,000 meters. (This benchmark means that Titan could reach to the depths of almost 90 percent of the world’s oceans; as the Titanic rests at 3,800 meters it is
DISCOVERED IN THE DEPTHS: THE TELEMOTOR WHERE TITANIC’S WHEEL ONCE STOOD.
THIS PAGE: TITAN ON HER LAUNCH PLATFORM AFTER DEPLOYMENT FROM SUPPORT SHIP, HORIZON ARCTIC. OPPOSITE PAGE: TITANIC’S PORT SIDE ANCHOR; STOCKTON RUSH (THIRD FROM LEFT) AND CREW WORK IN THE SUBMERSIBLE.
believed Titan is the only manned submersible that can currently dive to this depth.) In addition to having the largest viewport of any deep diving submersible, Titan’s exterior cameras and lighting provide a vivid live view of the outside environment, perhaps an everyday concept on land, but an innovative one in a 22-foot-long submersible sleuthing out the seas. She’s also agile and nimble. Submarines are often fabricated from titanium, which is strong but also heavy. Instead, Titan’s pressure vessel is crafted from a lighter aerospace-grade carbon fiber that has her weighing in at just over 10,000 pounds. Thus, Titan is light enough to be transported via a standard tractor trailer, and can be launched from a variety of vessels. Rush says in a pinch, he has even launched the submersible from a kayak equipped with a scuba tank. “Her versatility means that we can match our support ships to the needs of the specific mission and not be curtailed by the needs of the sub,” he explains, an important note considering that OceanGate’s plans for exploration reach much further than Titanic. Current upcoming expeditions include one to survey the depths of the massive underwater Hudson Canyon off the coast of New York and another to observe flora, fauna, and marine life in the Great Bahama Bank. After the successful completion of the 2021 Titanic Expedition, Titan was trucked back across the country back to the Puget Sound—an example of how even if it has made a name for itself lately in the Northeastern Atlantic, the company is still very much anchored in the Pacific Northwest. All of OceanGate Inc.’s submersibles—there are currently four including Titan—are developed out of the company’s homebase at the Port of Everett, with testing and research dives often taking place in nearby Possession Sound. Local partnerships abound: OceanGate collaborated with NASA on some of the technical aspects of Titan, but they also leaned on the experts at Boeing and the University of Washington Applied Physics Lab during fabrication. Toray in Tacoma produced the carbon fiber composite material for the submersible, Janicki Industries out of Sedro-Wooley did all the machining work, and then the UW stepped up again to help OceanGate test the pressure vessel at their School of Oceanography. “It’s really unique to have all these companies and resources available to us here locally,” says Rush. “It’s been a great community to work with.” Over the winter and early spring months, the OceanGate crew has been busy prepping Titan for the sophomore Expedition that kicks off June 15th. Taking lessons from the inaugural exploration—Rush only semi-jokingly says he learned to pack warmer clothes this time—Titan has received a bevy of upgrades, including a number of improvements to the electrical and weight deployment systems. Her cameras
also have been upgraded to now capture imagery in 8K resolution. The submersible will also play a vital role in a new research initiative unique to this year’s missions: the collection of environmental DNA. As of April 12 of this year, RMS Titanic has sat on the ocean floor for 110 years and in that time the wreckage has become home to a vast variety of marine life, creating an artificial reef-like sanctuary for these cold water organisms. “The creatures down there are frankly some of the weirdest, craziest, and coolest things I’ve ever seen,” says Rush when describing in great detail a ghostly white, crustacean-like life form he observed last year. OceanGate’s Lisa Dreher adds it is quite possible that there are additional species lurking nearby that haven’t even been observed yet, but have left DNA behind. Led by researcher Dr. Steve W. Ross, the marine biology team will deploy Niskin bottles in the water column at various prescribed depths during descension over the course of several missions. Attached to a cable, these plastic cylindrical tubes are equipped with stoppers on each end held open by plastic cords attached to a release mechanism. When a small weight is released down the cable line, it strikes the release mechanism, stopping up the bottle, and trapping water inside non-invasively. Also relying on the high-resolution imagery and footage captured to provide additional context to the study, the team will then use the collected genetic information to develop a catalog of marine life. Coming about to Rush’s original objective all those years ago, the team that will make the 2022 Expedition consists of the aforementioned researchers, marine biologists, archaeologists, historians, and perhaps most uniquely—trained citizen explorers. Unlike the current wave of space tourism, these Mission Specialists are not just along for the ride, but are active participants in both subsea and topside support roles. This can include everything from dive planning and working side-by-side with researchers to capturing video footage, sonar, laser scans, and 3D imagery to running communications and assisting with dive preparations and more—a full “submersive” experience, if you will, into the world of exploration. One such Mission Specialist is Gary Philbrick, a Seattle native and current Sun Valley, Idaho, resident who is stepping back on board after serving with the 2021 Expedition team. “I’ve always had a lifelong desire and passion to find out what’s in the ocean, even as a kid in Seattle playing and diving around in the Sound,” says Philbrick. “And it’s absolutely riveting, to say watch a rattail fish in the water column as you descend down at 12,000 feet.” An avid traveler, diver, and outdoor enthusiast, Philbrick primarily helmed the inflatable that helped launch the specialists going down in 2021, and states his biggest takeaway was not the behemoth lying on the ocean floor, but rather the camaraderie built among the team. “Seeing Titanic was icing on the cake, but I’d say 90 percent of what really made the experience for me were the interactions and conversations on the ship,” he explains. “Getting to experience first-hand the knowledge and wisdom of the specialists, some of whom even helped bring artifacts up from the wreckage, to learn their insights about the ocean over a cup of coffee, that was far and away the best part.” “It’s really a chance to get your hands dirty, be a kid, find out what it is to be an explorer,” echoes Rush. “People come on board with different perspectives, skills, aspirations, and imaginations, and then you layer in the experts from the field, and it creates this dynamic team—and sets up an amazing environment to embark on an expedition.”
>> To learn more about the 2022 Titanic Expedition taking place now, plus details on other upcoming expeditions, visit: oceangateexpeditions.com.
FOR THE 2022 EXPEDITION, TITAN’S CAMERAS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO CAPTURE IMAGERY IN 8K RESOLUTION.
THE ODYSSEY CONTINU ES
By Emily Molina
ODYSSEY SAILING THROUGH THE YEARS. COLOR PHOTO BY JAN ANDERSON; HISTORIC IMAGES COURTESY OF SSSODYSSEY.ORG
Saving Tacoma’s tall ship: How the passionate group behind a new nonprofit is working to preserve and propel the legacy of Sea Scout Ship 190, the Odyssey.
CONTINU ES
CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT ON OPPOSITE PAGE: ORIGINAL OWNERS, THE HENRY FAMILY (PHOTO COURTESY OF SSSODYSSEY. ORG); CAPTAIN DR. ERIC KIESEL GUIDES THE SEA SCOUTS (PHOTO BY EMILY MOLINA); HER 1938 CHRISTENING (PHOTO COURTESY OF SSSODYSSEY.ORG); ODYSSEY AT HER HEIGHT (PHOTO BY MICHIEL HOOGSTEDE); READY TO MAKE HER MAIDEN VOYAGE (PHOTO COURTESY OF SSSODYSSEY.ORG); AND, MAST BEING REMOVED IN MARCH 2021 (PHOTO BY MICHIEL HOOGSTEDE).
It’s been well over a year since anyone’s hoisted the mainsail on the iconic 90-foot-long Tacoma mainstay and Sea Scout Ship 190 (SSS 190) training vessel, Odyssey. That’s due to the fact that in March of 2021 routine maintenance led to the discovery of soft wood near the mainmast-deck intersection, which prompted its removal. When further sections of soft wood were uncovered and workers found that a glue failure resulted in delamination, all parties concluded that replacement of the 105-foot Sitka spruce mast was unavoidable. Holding fast on the precipice of an illustrious 84-year history that started far from the Northwest in the Nevins Shipyard in New York, it’s now all hands on deck as Odyssey waits to sail again.
Origin Story, 1938 Originally built for Barbara Whitney, high society daughter of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and Harry Payne Whitney, Odyssey’s story begins all the way back in 1938. The aforementioned Barbara married Barklie McKee Henry in 1924 and later did what any avid sailing wife would do—she bought her husband a sailboat for his birthday. The new yacht was delivered in the fall of 1938 and her journey set sail. From grand trips to Belize and onward through the Panama Canal, crossing the equator and on to the Galapagos Islands, to sailing and entertaining in the waters off Connecticut and New York, the couple and their two children would spend several years with the yacht before the dawn of WWII.
The Navy Years, 1942-1974 Commandeered by the US Navy in 1942 and leaving her life of luxury behind, the newly renamed USS Saluda IX87 was painted grey, overhauled to diesel, and modified at the U.S. Navy’s Port Everglades base in Florida. There were three main reasons the navy would want a luxury yacht. First, the plush boat boasted a refrigerator and freezer. “This meant it could carry food for a much longer time than most sailboats,” explains naval architect Bud Bronson, who is also an Odyssey Committee & Organizational Representative and Foss Waterway Seaport Board Member. “It also had two other features that were extremely rare back then,” continues Bronson. “It had a radio, but it was a voice radio with a radio direction finder, so it could hone in on a signal and tell where the signal was coming from.” Officially attached to the Bureau of Ordnance in 1943, USS Saluda made its way to the Navy’s Underwater Sound Laboratory at Fort Trumbull in New London, Connecticut. Here, the vessel was engaged in patrolling, testing, and research for the development of early systems used in underwater warfare. By the time the war ended in 1945, the Henry family would decline the return of their wooden yawl due to weathering sustained
-Shana Curd, founding member and board president of the Friends of Odyssey nonprofit
CIRCA 1950 RACING SNAP (PHOTO COURTESY OF SSSODYSSEY.ORG); OPPOSITE: AND SAILING WITH THE SEA SCOUTS (PHOTO BY JAN ANDERSON).
during its service, and the ship would remain with the Navy. Briefly sent to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts, Saluda worked in the field of hydrography, a science involving the surveying and measuring of features in and around bodies of water. By 1947, Saluda would undergo preparations to weigh anchor for the West Coast. For almost thirty years, the ship served the Navy Electronics Lab in San Diego. Participating in underwater sound recording and naval programs involving dolphin training added to Odyssey’s growing resume. “At one time they had a tank midship, where the two dinghies are now stored, and would carry a couple of dolphins out,” says Bronson. “They put sound gear on the dolphins and they would flip them over the side, monitor them, and then the dolphins would return.” During this time Saluda was often used for leisure, entertaining, and even racing. In 1950, she even went far as to win the Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race, led by Captain George H. Hanson. Eventually, the Navy would move on to bigger and fancier equipped boats, while Saluda sailed its way up the coast to Washington. The Whidbey Island Naval Station would be the final destination in what turned out to be a lengthy naval career. It was 1974, and the remaining four years of service were spent mostly as a recreational boat for Navy personnel and the host for many parties. Finally in 1978, in major disrepair and short of funds, the ship parted ways with the Navy. Odyssey Today, 1974-Through Present Day Finding someone to take on a wooden sailboat that needed extensive work was no easy task, until it was offered to an individual in Tacoma with ties to the Pacific Harbors Council (formerly known as the Mt. Rainier Council). After countless hours of manpower and funding initiatives to pay for it all, Odyssey was revitalized and relocated to its new home on the Foss Waterway in Tacoma, the ship’s home today. Today, the boat operates as a Subchapter T vessel according to the regulations of the U.S. Coast Guard. Under the watchful eye of licensed captains at all times, the co-ed Sea Scouts program for ages 14-20 teaches leadership, responsibility, and life skills through tall ship sailing and is an initiative of the Boy Scouts of America. Many youths from across the region, like current ship bosun Anna J., have participated over the years. These experiences have sometimes led students to careers in the maritime industry, but have always provided lifetime worth of memories. “Sailing on the Sound allows you to experience it in a different way, rather than just observing it,” says Anna, who has been a crew member for five years. “Working on Odyssey has fueled my love of history and respect for sailors of the past. It’s brought me out of my comfort zone, allowing me to gain self-confidence and really mature as a leader.” The same is true of adult volunteers like Odyssey Committee Chair and licensed Captain Dr. Eric Kiesel, who joined the program in 2007. “I was a Scout, and I believe in the Scout ideals. It’s a good basis to lead your life on,” says Kiesel. “I really love sailing,
and teaching. I want to give the youth a skill set they’ll have the rest of their lives, and one they can enjoy. It also keeps you young.” The SSS 190 crew is steadfast, showing up every weekend to keep Odyssey in shipshape despite the loss of the mainmast. (Passing its most recent Coast Guard inspection means the vessel is certified to operate by motor without sails.) The Sea Scouts routinely practice man-overboard drills, helmsmanship, navigation, and raising the mizzenmast onboard. The Scouts also participate in small sailboat training, kayaking, skill tests, and other projects.
Saving Odyssey and the SSS 190 Legacy In the past Odyssey relied on weekend and day sail charters to fund the youth program and the vessel. Trained crew took guests on sailing excursions to places like the San Juan Islands or Victoria, British Columbia. But now, between the lack of a mainmast and the pandemic, it became clear that grave challenges lay ahead. As talks with professional shipwrights with the know-how to restore historic wooden vessels and masts continued, the exorbitant cost of such endeavors hit home. In December of 2021, a passionate group of individuals got together to start a nonprofit called Friends of Odyssey. Their mission is to gain financial support for the aging vessel, and keep the well-loved SSS 190 program afloat. Founding member, Board President, and former Odyssey Skipper Shana Curd has seen first-hand the positive impacts the program has on young adults, making supporting it all the more vital. “Boys and girls alike come onboard knowing nothing and learn together as a crew—learning to trust one another,” says Curd. “They’re given adult responsibilities in a supervised environment, a place where they can take risks, be supported, and learn at the same time. It’s amazing to watch their transformation.” From early days in the epoch of East Coast society to honorable service as USS Saluda during WWII and over three-decades of naval duty to present-day sail training vessel for Sea Scout Ship 190, Odyssey has a long, storied history—and a legacy that her friends are now fighting to preserve for future generations.
>> Help Odyssey sail once again. Funding initiatives are underway for mast replacement, vessel restoration, and sustainability projects, plus any donations made help the organization continue to offer unique youth experiences through the SSS 190 tall ship sailing program. For more information, visit: friendsofodyssey.org. Tax-deductible donations can also be mailed to: Friends of Odyssey: 748 Market Street Unit #91, Tacoma, WA 98402.
About the Author: Emily Molina is a freelance writer who lives in the South Puget Sound region with her husband and family. A former American Airlines flight attendant and lover of both history and the sea, it is these passions that led her to Odyssey where one of her own children serves on SSS 190 and she volunteers as an adult leader and Friends of Odyssey Vice-President.
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