A search is underway for a missing submersible that carries people to view the wreckage of the Titanic. Canadian officials say the five-person submersible was reported overdue Sunday night about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John's, Newfoundland and that the search is being led by the U.S. Coast Guard. The owner of the ship that launched the submersible confirmed that it was operated by OceanGate Expeditions, which has been operating annual voyages since 2021 to the wreckage of the iconic ocean liner. In a statement, the company said it is working to bring the crew back safely.
…officials are working to get a remotely operated vehicle that can reach a depth of 6,000 meters (about 20,000 feet) to the site as soon as possible.
The 5-person submersible, named Titan, is capable of diving 4,000 meters or 13,120 ft. “with a comfortable safety margin,” OceanGate said in its filing with the court.
but…after looking up on Wikipedia
I think they’re advertising the depth limit of the recovery vehicle, not claiming that the wreck is actually at 20,000 feet.
They probably need quite a bit of margin too if the craft accidentally got lost in a deeper area
Maybe they’re concerned that it no-clipped through the sea bottom and wound up deeper than the Titanic’s current location?
It might be best practice to use a vessel rated for considerably deeper than you actually go, in case of some problem in the hull?
And/or it’s just a description of a particular vehicle they’re bringing that was most convenient to get there quickly.
It’s not like they’re going to say, “oh, don’t bring THAT recovery vehicle, it can go TOO deep.”