A few years ago when I was a volunteer guide at the Australian Maritime Museum, one of the more interesting exhibits was Challenging the Deep, a multi-media introduction to James Cameron's love of exploring the depths of the oceans in small submersible vehicles. It included some excellent modelling of the wreck of the Titanic, period costumes and Cameron's own take on exploring shipwrecks and other far deeper places. Doubtless he is a brave man.

I was thinking about this show this morning when I read of the disappearance of the submarine Titan, a small underwater craft designed to take tourists, amongst other things, to the resting place of the Titanic in the North Atlantic ocean. The surface vessel, the Polar Prince, lost contact with Titan about two hours into its descent. A major rescue operation is currently underway; the Titan has up to 5 days oxygen supply for the 5 submariners on the trip, who with any luck all will be found safe and sound. But it is a fraught situation and everything depends on just what might have gone wrong. Entanglement with wreckage of the Titanic, an electrical fire or hull breach would be deadly, as would sitting powerless on the ocean floor.  Not only that, but the conditions on the high sea, the weather and so forth can all hamper the discovery of the ship and rescue of the crew.

When I was a guide on the submarine HMAS Onslow at the AMM, I would often talk visitors through the rescue procedures available to such a craft in the 1990's based upon the manuals and reports I had read. The chances of survival were not considered great. Conditions had to be right for rescue or escape to occur. The Onslow is a vastly more capable boat in every respect to the Titan, which was described by one media outlet as 'little more than a mini-van-sized, pressurized viewing platform.' (The Guardian)

I am not a brave man when it comes to exploration in dangerous places. Not for me a Martian expedition or a trip to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. But I do wish the searchers well and hope, against what I know are lengthening odds, that they succeed in their mission.

Courtesy the Sydney Morning Herald and OceanGate Expeditions.