i am aghasted that my hunch was right, that this 5 man sub going down 2.5 miles down the ocean alone, had no electronic location transmitter device, IE a beacon. This isn't a high tech piece of equipment. It's a requirement for all licensed air and sea vessels. What's more surprising are:
1. An Oceangate employee with submarine pilot experience and a director of marine operation, responsible safety of crew and clients, refuse to certify the vessel safey and thereby not approving test dive. He was immediately fired and sued by Oceangate for whistleblowing but later settled out of court. The 'experimental' vessel was and is still not certified nor approved by any regulatory body for deep sea diving.
2. Since it is exploring in international water, it's a loophole where by it can bypass safety law and regulation. Crew and clients can just signed waviers of liability.
3. The CEO had bragged about using equipment from 'off the shelves' items, like buying them from 'Camping World'. The glaring one is using Xbox 360 controller to control the entire submersible vessel.
4. Prior test dives didn't last an hour, had to abort mission.
I found this quote:
So now we have something that looks startlingly like the maiden—and final—voyage of the Titanic. It too was an experimental ship that was considered a technological and engineering marvel at its time. It was one that allowed some of the world’s wealthiest and esteemed individuals to purchase a ticket and set out on a great adventure on the Atlantic Ocean. However, it also lacked basic safety tools that ultimately doomed it and 1,500 passengers to a cold, watery death.
It’s a grim and sobering lesson—but worth remembering: History doesn’t repeat itself—but it often rhymes.