The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan which is used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. American Photo Archive/Alamy
The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan which is used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. American Photo Archive/Alamy
The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan which is used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. American Photo Archive/Alamy
The OceanGate Expeditions submersible vessel named Titan which is used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. American Photo Archive/Alamy

Titanic submarine passenger: Communication failed on my mission too


Gillian Duncan
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Follow the latest news on the missing Titanic sub here

A tourist who made the same trip on the submarine which has gone missing while visiting the wreck of the Titanic has spoken about how the radar stopped working and the crew lost communication during the dive.

Writer Mike Reiss, who travelled on Titan last year, told of the journey he took on the submarine, which he said was like a hollowed-out SUV.

He said during his dive that Titan struggled to locate the Titanic, but managed to with just 20 minutes to go before they needed to surface.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, he said: “You are very taken with how simple it is. In my case, we got down and we were just I think 500 metres from the Titanic, but it is pitch dark down there. The radar or the compass stopped working.

“We spent most of our time down there just kind of flailing around, trying to find the biggest thing in the ocean and we couldn’t see it.

“And just to raise the tension, as if we needed that, a hurricane was coming in over the ocean, so we didn’t have a lot of time to explore. But with just 20 minutes left on the voyage we found the Titanic. And it was enough I have to say for a photo op. We got there and I got to take pictures of the anchor and the bow of the ship and the railing and that kind of thing.”

Mr Reiss said he did three separate dives, including two more off the coast of New York, and “every time they lost communication”.

“This is not to say it’s a shoddy ship. This is all new technology and they are learning it as they go along,” he added.

The submarine is propelled by “tiny motors that look like a fan you would have on your desk”, and steered “literally by an X-Box joystick from a game system”.

Titanic tourist submersible goes missing – in pictures

“You are very taken with how simple it is," he said.

"The submarine, you have to picture a van, an SUV with the seats taken out. It’s about that size. It seats five passengers comfortably but you are just sitting on the floor. It’s actually very relaxing. It’s very comfortable and I actually fell asleep going down to the Titanic."

He said he only went on the trip because his wife, who originally wanted to go, could not make it.

"My wife loves to travel and I love my wife and so if I want to spend a vacation with her, I have to do it in North Korea or the North Pole.

"This trip happened to fall on her birthday and I said well there’s a birthday present. So I paid for the trip for her, and right before she was going to get on the sub she tested positive for Covid. They said Mike, your wife can’t go but you can go. I said I don’t want to go. But I went."

Mr Reiss said the rescue will be challenging.

“If it’s down at the bottom, I don’t know how anyone’s going to be able to access it, much less bring it back up.

“There is a hope that it’s at, or near, the surface,” he said.

Titanic expert Tim Moltin said the submarine will be easy to find if it is near the wreck. But it will be hard to bring it up.

“But the problem of course is you can’t do a ship to ship transfer. The pressure is absolutely intense. It’s nearly two miles down. It’s pitch black,” he said.

'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 592bhp

Torque: 620Nm

Price: Dh980,000

On sale: now

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SCE%20Studio%20Cambridge%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%2C%20PlayStation%204%20and%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Changing visa rules

For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.

Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.

It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.

The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.

The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

McIlroy's recent struggles

Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)

Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)

The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)

The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)

US Open Missed the cut (78)

Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)

Irish Open Missed the cut (72)

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPeyton%20Reed%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Rudd%2C%20Evangeline%20Lilly%2C%20Jonathan%20Majors%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Strait of Hormuz

Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.

The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.

Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.

Updated: June 22, 2023, 9:17 AM`