EAST AURORA, N.Y. — The investigation in the North Atlantic Ocean continues as the U.S. Coast Guard, NTSB, and various other international agencies seek to o figure out exactly what happened last week with the catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible which killed the five people on board.
That includes the major continuing involvement of a company with operations in East Aurora.
If you've been watching network coverage of the now unfolding investigation of the Titan submersible implosion you've been seeing that yellow Odysseus 6k tethered submersible. It's being operated from a control room on board its mother ships as it still dives 12,000 feet down to the ocean floor. That's been several times now since last Thursday when it sadly first found the debris from the implosion of the Titan.
Since we can't talk directly to Pelagic and its East Aurora resident - CEO Edward Cassano under Coast Guard rules, a California underwater exploration expert, gave us some idea of what's going on.
Will Kohnen of the Hydrospace Group first explain the difficult seafloor conditions.
"When you're down there the only thing you see is within 20 feet of wherever your lights are and that depends on how much power you put on the lights - the rest is just dark where you are. It's hard to find out in which direction you're pointing."
Pelagic spokesman Jeff Mahoney did post a comment in a Pelagic press release. "This recovery phase is a remarkably difficult and risky operation, especially at this depth. Given its continuous operation under the incredible atmospheric pressure, temperatures, and environmental stresses, it's a testament to the skill of the team and the engineering of Odysseus. We are very proud to have the ability to perform a complete array of tasks as this investigation evolves."
Kohnen also spoke about what the Pelagic crew is apparently tasked with doing for investigators.
"Lots and lots of photos and videos and where things are positioned from different angles. Because where the parts are will provide some information as to what happened - what the parts look like. I think the picking up of the parts is pretty well towards the end."
Indeed Odysseus has stabilizing thrusters to hover in place and powerful articulating arms. They are normally used to repair deep sea oil drilling platforms or other assignments and it can pick up debris for this investigation.
But Kohnen says it also could have attempted a rescue if the Titan had not imploded and was stuck or disabled on the ocean floor. That was the reason for a 23-hour rush flight to get it aboard Air Force cargo planes in Buffalo and fly it to St. John's, Newfoundland for the waiting Horizon Arctic ship to carry it to the sea search site.
Kohnen says, "An ROV is at the top of the list as a rescue vehicle. These ROVs for sure if they can find you - they can attach a line to you and then a crane can just pull you up."
That is also tied to the point that the Titan was believed to have carried 96 hours of oxygen for a relatively short dive down on the Titanic wreck.
Kohnen is also a bit puzzled about what he feels to be a potential OceanGate failure of not having a well-thought-out rescue plan even though the implosion apparently occurred early in the Titan's dive.
"You could have an ROV on board your ship that is rated to the same depth that you can reach it in case of an emergency. Or at a minimum, you would make a contract with a company like in Buffalo to say 'Hey - can you be on standby? We're gonna be there for a week. This is where we're gonna be just in case something really bad happens - I'll call you.' That's all part of a normal emergency response plan"
"It sure doesn't appear that any of this was put in place," he says.
Kohnen says the extra safety margin would have been well worth the extra cost.
As for the Pelagic staffers, nine of whom left on the Air Force planes on Tuesday, Kohnen says it is sometimes surprising to find a very sophisticated hi-tech research firm in a small, quiet community like East Aurora. "Celebrate that company. These guys work in the background. I think they're part of the unsung heroes we have in this country."
It's expected Pelagic could be busy with that Titan sea floor investigation for quite a while.
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