How James Cameron explored Titanic on Russian built 'Mir' sub trends now
Titanic film director James Cameron explored the notorious sunken ship using a Russian sub in expeditions that appear to have been safer than the Titan.
Mr Cameron, 68, used the now-decommissioned Mir submersibles which were operated by the Russian Academy of Sciences.
But they appeared to be a far cry from the currently missing Titan, which is operated using a reconditioned £40 game console controller.
Mr Cameron used them to film the Titanic’s wreck as he was putting together the Leonardo DiCaprio-fronted movie of the same name.
His underwater trips happened in the mid-1990s and early 2000s and went as deep as 3,821 metres.
Director James Cameron is seen inside the Mir submersible during his underwater filming
The now-decommissioned Mir submersibles were operated by the Russian Academy of Sciences
The Mir were designed for scientific research and to help in rescue operations under the sea
The documentaries Ghosts of the Abyss and Expedition: Bismarck saw him go even lower to 4,700 metres.
It appears the difference between them and the Titan are that the Mir were designed for scientific research and to help in rescue operations.
Mir commander Anatoly Sagalevich said in 2021 of them: 'The spheres are made with a large margin of safety, at a depth of 5000 meters overboard.
'The pressure is 500 atmospheres, that is, a force of more than 160 tons acts on the window, which is equal to the weight of 4 tanks.
The safety of the Mir was today being compared to the OceanGate's Titan amid the search
Titanic director James Cameron went on numerous missions in the Russian Mir submersible
'The porthole is made of acrylic glass. I once dived 3000 meters with ex Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. He was overwhelmed by our submersible's technology.'
The safety of the Mir was today being compared to the OceanGate's Titan after concerns emerged about its suitability for its missions.
OceanGate bosses fired David Lochridge, who was Director of Marine operations for the Titan project, in 2018 after it disagreed with his demand for more rigorous safety checks on the submersible, including 'testing to prove its integrity'.
The company also opted against having the craft 'classed', an industry-wide practice whereby independent inspectors ensure vessels meet accepted technical standards.
OceanGate, which charges up to $250,000 for a seat on the submersible, suggested that seeking classification could take years and would be 'anathema to rapid innovation'.
Titan is currently missing with five people on board after it lost communication during a dive to the Titanic's wreckage, which is around 12,500ft below the Atlantic. A frantic search and rescue operation is underway to locate and recover the submersible before its oxygen supply runs out.
OceanGate bosses fired David Lochridge, who was Director of Marine operations for the Titan project, in 2018 after it disagreed with his demand for more rigorous safety checks on the submersible, which is missing after a mission to the Titanic wreckage
Titan is currently missing with five people on board after it lost communication during a dive to the Titanic's wreckage, which is around 12,500ft below the Atlantic
In 2019, OceanGate said seeking classification for Titan would not 'ensure that operators adhere to proper operating procedures and decision-making processes – two areas that are much more important for mitigating risks at sea'.
Classification involves recruiting an independent organization to ensure vessels like ships and submersibles meet industry-wide technical standards. It is a crucial way of ensuring a vessel is fit to operate.
In a blog post titled 'Why Isn't Titan Classed?', OceanGate suggested classification would take too long.
The post said: 'While classing agencies are willing to pursue the certification of new and innovative designs and ideas, they often have a multi-year approval cycle due to a lack of pre-existing standards…
'Bringing an outside entity up to speed on every innovation before it is put into real-world testing is anathema to rapid innovation.'
The company said its 'innovations' included a real-time (RTM) hull health monitoring system which is 'not currently covered by any classing agency'.
OceanGate suggested its own in-house safety protocols were sufficient. The blog concluded that 'by itself, classing is not sufficient to ensure safety'.
Lochridge, whose role included overseeing safety on the Titan project, had urged OceanGate to seek classification several years ago, before he was sacked in a disagreement about safety checks on the craft.
David Lochridge, who was Director of Marine operations for the Titan project, was fired after meetings with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who is on board the missing submersible
He also wanted the company to carry out a scan of Titan's hull to 'detect potential flaws' rather than 'relying on acoustic monitoring' – which would only detect an issue 'milliseconds before an implosion'.
The revelation
