LONDON, UK: A British digital marketing tycoon has shared that he could have been one of the people on board the submersible that has gone missing on its way to Titanic’s shipwreck site. But he backed out after understanding that OceanGate, which owns the Titan, was not taking enough safety measures. The 61-year-old is reportedly a friend of Hamish Harding, 58, who is one of the five people on board the missing vessel.
Brown told The Sun, “I found out they used old scaffolding poles for the sub’s ballast — and its controls were based on computer game-style controllers. If you’re trying to build your own submarine you could probably use old scaffold poles. But this was a commercial craft. Eventually, I emailed them and said, ‘I’m no longer able to go on this thing’. I asked for a refund after being less than convinced.”
‘I feel really upset about Hamish’
He further detailed, “We decided the risks were too high in this instance, even though I’m not one to shy away from risk. I feel really upset about Hamish — he’s an extremely easy guy to get along with.”
“One thing’s for certain, Hamish isn’t the sort of fellow to panic. He’ll be extremely calm and will be processing plans, schemes, and ideas through his enormous brain. I fully expect he’ll be a calming influence on the others in the sub, and will be giving them hope,” Brown explained about his pal, whom he met in 2016 on a trek to the South Pole.
The Titan has not been contacted since June 18 after it went missing within two hours into its voyage. It has also been said that now less than 24 hours of oxygen is left inside the 22-ft craft, making the situation more dire for the tourists.
‘The Titanic is obviously an iconic wreck’
Brown also spoke to ‘Good Morning America’ where he revealed that he was one of the first to show interest in the expedition. He said, “Being a modern-day adventurer interested in pushing the boundaries of our knowledge of places that people go... the Titanic is obviously an iconic wreck. It's a chance for an expedition, an exploration, and adding a bit of science into the situation.”
The Brit, however, noted the concerns of the family and friends of adventurers like him. He added, “We fully understand the risk and take them on board. But (friends and family) haven’t been so involved in the process...in a situation like this, it’s probably as if the bottom has dropped out of their worlds."
