OceanGate facts for kids
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Cyclops 1 submersible on display at Seattle's Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
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| Private | |
| Industry | Tourism, expeditions, underwater diving |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founders | Stockton Rush
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| Headquarters | Everett, Washington, U.S. |
OceanGate Inc. was an American company based in Everett, Washington. It offered trips and services using special underwater vehicles called submersibles. These trips were for tourism, scientific research, and exploring the deep ocean. The company was started in 2009 by Stockton Rush and Guillermo Söhnlein.
OceanGate bought one submersible, called Antipodes. Later, they built two more of their own: Cyclops 1 and Titan. In 2021, OceanGate started taking people on trips in Titan to see the famous wreck of the Titanic. By 2022, a trip to the Titanic shipwreck cost US$250,000 per person.
On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible was lost during a trip to the Titanic. All five people on board, including Stockton Rush, died. An international search team looked for the submersible. On June 22, parts of the Titan were found on the seabed. They were about 1,600 feet (488 meters) away from the Titanic wreck. OceanGate's office in Everett closed on June 21, and on July 6, the company stopped all its operations. Since August 2023, Gordon Gardiner has been leading the company. OceanGate is currently "out of business" while investigations are completed.
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Exploring the Deep Ocean
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Stockton Rush loved aviation and space travel when he was young. He got his pilot's license at 18. Later, he became very interested in exploring under the sea. Rush used money he inherited to invest in technology companies. He then wanted to buy a submarine. But he found out that very few private submarines existed. So, in 2006, he built his own submersible from plans. He named it Suds.
Rush believed that exploring the ocean depths was an area that needed more attention. He thought that submersibles were safer than people believed. He felt that rules for passenger safety sometimes made it hard for new ideas to develop. In 2017, he said that submersibles were "the safest vehicles on the planet." Rush also had a study done that showed many people were interested in underwater tourism.
Company Journey
Starting Out and Antipodes (2009–2013)
OceanGate was started by Guillermo Söhnlein and Stockton Rush in Seattle in 2009. Söhnlein said they wanted to build a small fleet of submersibles that could hold five people. These submersibles would be rented out to different groups. In 2023, he explained that their goal was to "Open the oceans for all of humanity."
The company's first submersible was Antipodes. It was a used vessel that could hold five people and had a strong steel body. Between 2010 and 2013, OceanGate used Antipodes for about 130 dives. The company rented out its submersible to researchers. They also took tourists on underwater trips. OceanGate called these tourists "citizen scientists." In 2012, Söhnlein estimated that passengers paid between $7,500 and $40,000 per trip.
OceanGate's first tourist trips began in 2010. They took groups to Catalina Island off the coast of California. To make the trips better, they started bringing expert guides. Rush said, "People would ask me about a fish, and I wouldn't know anything about it." When marine biologists joined the trips, Rush noticed a big difference. Their excitement made the dives much more interesting.
In 2010, OceanGate worked with the University of Washington. The university used Antipodes to test new sonar equipment and robotic arms. In 2011, Antipodes was used to map the wreckage of the SS Governor. This ship had sunk in Puget Sound in 1921. In 2012 and 2013, OceanGate worked in Miami, Florida. Researchers used Antipodes to study the spread of lionfish.
Building Cyclops 1 (2013–2016)
In 2013, OceanGate decided to design its own submersibles. They wanted unique designs that were more affordable to build. Guillermo Söhnlein left the company that year. He said OceanGate was moving into Stockton Rush's area of expertise, which was engineering. Söhnlein still owned a small part of the company.
OceanGate started designing its first custom-built submersible, Cyclops. It was later named Cyclops 1. They worked with the University of Washington and Boeing on the design. They first planned to use a carbon fiber hull. But instead, OceanGate bought a 12-year-old vessel called Lula. They took out its steel body and used it to create Cyclops 1. The Cyclops 1 was shown to the public in 2015. That same year, the company moved its main office to Everett, Washington.
Growing the Fleet and Titanic Dives (2016–2023)
OceanGate ordered the first titanium parts for Cyclops 2 in December 2016. In January 2017, they hired Spencer Composites to design and build the carbon fiber hull. In March 2018, Cyclops 2 was renamed Titan. Rush called it "an amazing engineering feat" when it was launched in 2018. Titan was tested to its deepest planned depth of 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) in 2018 and 2019.
In 2019, OceanGate announced plans to build Cyclops 3 and Cyclops 4. These submersibles were meant to reach depths of 6,000 meters (19,685 feet). In early 2020, they said that NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center would help build the hulls. NASA's involvement was to help with "deep-space exploration goals" and "improve materials and manufacturing."
In 2021 and 2022, OceanGate used its Titan submersible to take people on dives to the Titanic wreck.
Titan Incident and Company Closure (2023)
The Titan submersible was lost during a trip to the Titanic in June 2023. All five people on board, including CEO Stockton Rush, died. An international search and rescue team, led by the United States Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and Canadian Coast Guard, searched for four days. On June 22, parts of the Titan were found. They were about 1,600 feet (488 meters) in front of the Titanic's bow. This showed that the submersible had broken apart due to extreme pressure.
After the news about Titan, OceanGate closed its Everett office. Soon after, its related company, OceanGate Expeditions, also stopped its operations. From July 2023, OceanGate's websites showed a message saying: "OceanGate has suspended all exploration and commercial operations."
OceanGate Submersibles
OceanGate owned three submersibles. The Cyclops 1 and Titan submersibles were launched and recovered using a special "Launch and Recovery Platform." This platform could be pulled by a regular ship. When they reached the dive spot, the platform's tanks would fill with water. This made it sink about 9 meters (30 feet) below the surface, away from rough waves. The submersible would then leave the platform for its mission. When the submersible returned, the platform's tanks were emptied. This allowed it to float back up and be towed or brought onto the main ship. This system meant OceanGate could use ships without special cranes. The platform was about 35 feet (10.7 meters) long and 15 feet (4.6 meters) wide. It could lift up to 20,000 pounds (9,072 kg).
Antipodes
Antipodes is a submersible with a steel body. It can go down to depths of 1,000 feet (305 meters). OceanGate bought it in 2010. In 2010, OceanGate took its first paying customers in Antipodes off the coast of Catalina Island in California. The submersible was also used for trips to explore corals, study lionfish in Florida, and investigate an old oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. By 2013, OceanGate had completed over 130 dives with Antipodes.
Cyclops 1
In March 2015, OceanGate showed off the Cyclops 1. This submersible could hold five people and had a steel body. It could dive up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) underwater. It was about 22 feet (6.7 meters) long and 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide, and weighed around 20,000 pounds (9,072 kg). Its name came from its strong acrylic window. The submersible was controlled by a changed wireless game controller. It could stay underwater for up to eight hours on its battery. Cyclops 1 was used for many different trips for businesses and scientists.
OceanGate built Cyclops 1 with help from the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory. Boeing also worked with them on the first design ideas. The first plan was to make the hull from carbon fiber. But they decided to use a steel hull instead. OceanGate got the steel hull for Cyclops 1 in 2013. It had been used for 12 years before. OceanGate then added a new inside, underwater sensors, and the gamepad control system.
In June 2016, Cyclops 1 was used to survey the wreck of the SS Andrea Doria. This ship was 240 feet (73 meters) below the surface. The information gathered was used to create a computer model of the wreck. In 2019, the submersible took researchers to the bottom of Puget Sound to study marine life.
Titan
Titan (known as Cyclops 2 until 2018) was the second submersible designed and built by OceanGate. It was the first privately-owned submersible planned to go as deep as 4,000 meters (13,123 feet). It was also the first crewed submersible to use a hull made of titanium and carbon fiber. Most other submersibles that carry people have an all-metal body.
On June 18, 2023, OceanGate lost contact with Titan during its dive to the Titanic. Losing contact had happened before during tests and tours. So, OceanGate did not tell authorities right away. A huge international search and rescue effort began. It ended on June 22, 2023, when parts of Titan were found. They were about 1,600 feet (488 meters) in front of the Titanic's bow. This showed that the submersible had broken apart suddenly due to the extreme pressure.
Related Groups
When the Titan incident happened, OceanGate had three related groups. Its main office was in Everett, Washington. There was also a company in the Bahamas called Argus Expeditions Ltd, which operated as OceanGate Expeditions. Finally, there was an independent nonprofit group called the OceanGate Foundation. This foundation helped scientists get money to join missions. Stockton Rush was listed as the treasurer of the nonprofit. His wife, Wendy Rush, was listed as a director and president.
See also
In Spanish: OceanGate para niños
- Extreme tourism
- List of submarine and submersible incidents since 2000
