A former TV journalist has told how he “almost died” in a submarine that got stuck in the wreckage of the Titanic.
British billionaire Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, 48, one of Pakistan’s richest men and a UK-based board member of the Prince’s Trust, and his son Sulaiman, 19, are among the group trapped in the 7-metre underwater craft of OceanGate.
As efforts continue to find them before their oxygen runs out, ex-ABC science editor Michael Guillen revealed his own terrifying experience in 2000 when he became the first TV correspondent to visit the wreck in a sub two and a half miles under the Atlantic. Ocean off Newfoundland.
News footage shared by Dr. Guillen told how the ship was suddenly caught in a strong underwater current that pushed it towards the Titanic’s 21-ton propellers.
After getting stuck under the stern, the crew attempted to reverse – at which point a bang was heard as chunks of debris floated through the water.
Ex-ABC reporter Michael Guillen revealed his own terrifying experience when he became the first TV correspondent to visit the wreck (this is a still from news footage of the incident)
A current pushed the submarine under the stern of the Titanic, whereupon the crew began fiddling with the controls to try and turn it around.
TITANIC ACCIDENT. While at ABC News, I became the first TV correspondent in history to cover the wreck of the Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, 1.5 miles below the surface. An accident happened that almost killed me. This is what happened. #Titanic… pic.twitter.com/b4t3WtaRdc
— Dr Michael Guillen (@DrMGuillen) June 19, 2023
“So are we stuck or something?” a voice can be heard asking in the footage.
The team eventually managed to free the submarine and get it back to the surface, but Dr. Guillen said the accident “nearly claimed my life.”
Dr. Guillen was on a submarine called the Mir 1 which was built in 1987.
In his 2021 book Believing is Seeing, Dr. Guillen said, “It seemed to me that we were going [the propeller] too fast – and, worse, accelerating.
“I later learned that our submarine had accidentally become entangled in a fast-moving, deep underwater current. A fraction of a second later, Mir 1 collided with the Titanic’s propeller.
“I felt the shock of the collision: rusty debris rained down on our submarine and obscured my view through the porthole.”
Dr. Guillen said 30 minutes had passed and the team tried to dislodge the ship by “moving it forward and backward, forward and backward” to “rock us out of our trapped position.”
At that point, he began to think they wouldn’t make it.
But he said he then suddenly felt as if an “invisible presence” had entered the submarine, and “shortly afterwards everything went silent” before the engine “stopped roaring” and it felt like they were floating again.
At that moment, a bang was heard as large chunks of debris floated through the water
“So are we stuck or something?” a voice can be heard asking in the footage
The team had managed to free the Mir 1 from its propeller, but Dr. Guillen admitted that even today he didn’t fully understand how he had survived the incident.
Dr. Guillen, who is a Christian, also wrote how he “experienced God’s presence and peace as I lay down to kiss my life goodbye.”
OceanGate’s submarine, The Titan, is now the only five-person submarine in the world capable of reaching the Titanic.
The ship is controlled by an amplified Playstation controller, though it lacks a GPS system and is guided by text messages sent by a team above water.
CBS correspondent David Pogue, who traveled aboard one of the submarines, has said it is now impossible for those inside to escape without help.
Passengers were sealed inside the capsule with 17 bolts fitted from the outside that could only be removed by an outside crew, he told the BBC yesterday.
He told The Context Program that the craft had seven different functions to help it resurface and it was “really concerning” that none of these had worked.
An image showing the submarine Dr. Guillen got stuck under the stern of the Titanic
The team eventually managed to free the submarine and get it back to the surface, but Dr. Guillen said the accident “nearly claimed my life.”
He added that these resurfacing capabilities would be irrelevant if the submarine became trapped or leaked.
“There’s no backup, there’s no escape pod — it’s surface or die,” Mr. Pogue said.
Meanwhile, a writer who made the Titanic’s submarine voyage last year said he’s “not optimistic” about the search for the missing OceanGate craft.
Mike Reiss told BBC Breakfast that communications were also lost on his dive to the Titanic.
Mr Reiss said: ‘I’m not optimistic just because I know the logistics of it. And I really remember how vast the ocean is and how small the vessel is.
He added: “So the idea is, if it’s at the bottom, I don’t know how anyone could access it, much less bring it back up.”
“There is hope that it is at or near the surface. I did three separate dives. I’ve made one dive to the Titanic and two more off the coast of New York.
Authorities are currently searching for OceanGate’s 22ft carbon fiber and titanium vessel dubbed the Titan after it disappeared on Sunday
The Boston Coast Guard is now searching for the missing ship. The wreck of the iconic ship lies 12,500 feet underwater, about 370 miles from Newfoundland, Canada
Authorities are currently searching for OceanGate’s 22ft carbon fiber and titanium vessel dubbed the Titan after it disappeared on Sunday
“Every time they lost communication and again, this isn’t a shoddy ship or anything.”
The missing tourist submarine is said to have been last “pinged” while directly above the Titanic.
Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate – who organized the trip – would be the fifth crew member.
The submarine is believed to have enough oxygen to stay submerged until 12pm Thursday UK time (7am EST).