Missing Titanic sub: Theories circulating about the missing vessel taking tours to view historic shipwreck
Brady Knox
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Following the disappearance of a tourist submarine that went missing while surveying the Titanic cruise liner, public interest has sparked a number of strange finds and rumors.
Rumors circulating around the lost Titan range from questionable technical choices to what could be going on inside the sub, if it hasn’t imploded.
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Here are some of the most prominent rumors circulating about the lost sub, and whether there is any basis for them.
The sub was piloted entirely by an old video game controller (true)
As shown by OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, the entire sub is piloted by a single, old video game controller.
“We run the whole thing with this game controller,” he said while touting the appliance, resulting in someone with him face-palming.
Specifically, the controller is a Logitech G F710 Wireless Gamepad, first released in 2010. The controller operates on AA batteries, and can be purchased on Amazon for a little over $30.
Although there is no evidence the controller had anything to do with the disappearance of the sub, Logitech’s stock took a major hit following the reveal.
https://twitter.com/Jack_Raines/status/1671303038923952128?s=20
However, some on social media incorrectly identify the model of the controller, claiming it was a Playstation or Xbox controller.
The Titan was connected to the internet using Elon Musk’s Starlink (mostly false, with an element of truth)
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk came under some scrutiny following the disappearance, as it was revealed the company that operates the sub, OceanGate, uses Musk’s Starlink for communications. Just a few days before the disappearance, the company publicly thanked Starlink for providing communications for the team in the middle of the ocean.
“The wreck of the Titanic lies about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland. Without any cell towers in the middle of the ocean, we are relying on @Starlink to provide the communications we require throughout this year’s 2023 Titanic Expedition,” OceanGate tweeted.
https://twitter.com/OceanGateExped/status/1669034601983926277?s=20
“Despite being in the middle of the North Atlantic, we have the internet connection we need to make our #Titanic dive operations a success – thank you @Starlink!” it tweeted earlier this month.
Some were quick to pin blame on Starlink for the sub’s disappearance, with the account Occupy Democrats calling for an investigation into Musk.
https://twitter.com/OccupyDemocrats/status/1671203423642062848?s=20
However, problems with Starlink could not have been the reason for the sub’s disappearance, as the Titan isn’t connected to the internet; OceanGate’s tweets refer to the communications of the surface vessel that works with the sub. The radio waves used for internet connection are unable to operate underwater, so the surface vessel must use different means of communication.
There have been no reports of problems with internet access around the sub’s disappearance.
The Titan has gotten lost before, and the company turned off the internet to prevent a journalist from reporting on it (true)
CBS reporter David Pogue was invited on the Titan last year to report on the journey. He relayed a number of concerns during his trip, including comments on the “improvised” nature of the vessel.
At one point during his trip, he was in the surface vessel control room when the sub got lost for several hours, and OceanGate apparently cut off all internet access to prevent him from tweeting about it.
“To be clear, I was not on the sub that day—I was on the ship at the surface, in the control room. They could still send short texts to the sub, but did not know where it was. It was quiet and very tense, and they shut off the ship’s internet to prevent us from tweeting,” Pogue tweeted.
https://twitter.com/Pogue/status/1670835763536183297?s=20
However, Pogue said that the company gave a different rationale for turning off the internet, and later clarified that the surface vessel had not lost contact with the vessel, but just that it was lost on the ocean surface, unable to find the Titanic.
https://twitter.com/Pogue/status/1671524465736335366?s=20
The Titan’s television and audio system has malfunctioned and is playing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” on loop (false)
A rumor began circulating that the Titan plays an introductory video on the vessel, which features Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” and that the television and audio systems have malfunctioned, resulting in the song being played on a loop for the trapped passengers.
The rumor appears to be a joke; it was apparently spread by Jacobin writer Carl Beijer, who shared a supposed screenshot from an article purporting to give insight into the sub’s current condition.
https://twitter.com/CarlBeijer/status/1671155238450130945?s=20
A deeper search shows that the text in the article does not appear anywhere else, despite appearing to look like a news article. It also appears to be paraphrasing journalist Martin Phillips, who has been quoted in numerous sources as someone who undertook a journey in the vessel before. His name is spelled wrong in the supposed news article.
Additionally, the excerpt claims that “Philips” reported that the audio system of the sub appears to be malfunctioning, but this can’t be the case as all contact with the vessel has been lost.
The rumor appears to have been shared as a joke, which was then taken as fact by other social media users.
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The Titan’s single toilet is in front of the vessel’s only viewing port (true)
The small five-person sub was designed to maximize space, leading to its only toilet being installed directly in front of the vessel’s only viewport.
A diagram of the vessel shows that the toilet is located directly in front of the window, though a privacy curtain can be drawn while in use.
https://twitter.com/KJYossman/status/1671169885915996167?s=20