Since Sunday, much of the world has been gripped with suspense over the whereabouts of the now infamous OceanGate submersible, the Titan, which this morning officially ran out of oxygen after starting its treacherous journey to see the Titanic wreckage with five passengers and 96 hours of breathable air.
Connection to the unregulated deep-sea explorer – for which Elon Musk's dicey satellite internet constellation, Starlink, was used – was lost an hour-and-a-half after it went underwater, along with any way to reach the five passengers on board, pilot (and OceanGate founder and CEO) Stockton Rush, 61, Hamish Harding, 58, Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, and Pakistani billionaire Shahzada Dawood, 48, with his son Suleman, 19.
In the wake of the ongoing search, news like Harding's stepson attending a Blink-182 concert (and getting subsequently called out for it by Cardi B) and Rush's connection to actual famous Titanic passengers have left netizens floored, but little more so than details of how the vehicle itself was actually made.
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CBS correspondent David Pogue has gone viral this week across most social media platforms, for his CBS Sunday Morning feature from last year where he is seen in obvious shock over the submersible's suspicious construction.
The journalist has now admitted to People that he was "petrified" the night before he was set to test out the Titan with its now missing pilot.
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The Titan is the size of a minivan, but passengers shouldn't expect cushioned seats, and instead spend their hours-long journey to the Titanic wreckage sitting (criss-cross applesauce!) on the floor.
"The sub is made from a carbon fiber cylinder, so the walls are curved," Poague explained, adding: "So you sit there on the floor with your back against the curved wall."
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Beyond the Titan's size and exterior, little has left the internet more shocked than how the submersible is operated: via an off-brand, plastic Playstation game controller, connected through Bluetooth, that anyone can grab to drive the Titan themselves.
During his 2022 segment, Poague acknowledged at one point: "I couldn't help noticing how many pieces of this sub seemed… improvised." When describing the mechanics of the sub, Rush explained that it only has a single button inside, noting: "It should be like an elevator, you know, it shouldn't take a lot of skill."
Despite the advertised ease of handling the sub, not even the U.S. Navy, for instance, owns a submarine with the capability to reach the depths the Titan was aiming for. It's the only five-person sub in the world that can, or could, reach Titanic depths.
As Pogue and Rush's interview continued, the former was left with little to say when the pilot revealed he had gotten the Titan's lights from a camp store, and couldn't help but bring his face to his palms when he presented him with the plastic game controller meant to direct its five passengers over two miles into the deep sea.
What's more, not only is it the only five-person sub able to reach such deep territory, but Pogue added: "It's also the only one with a toilet, sort of…" and by toilet, he meant a plastic bottle and ziplocks, which left followers of the terrifying story further shocked.
As of Thursday morning, over three days after the Titan first went missing, the last update made public is that it has officially run out of its 96 hours of oxygen. The U.S. along with Canada, UK, and other countries have gathered their resources for the ongoing rescue effort, and while no discovery has been made yet, CNN reports the Titan is designed to eventually come to surface.